Protect Me
by heykyra13
Summary: Kagome Higurashi was your average college student going to visit her family over her break until she suddenly found herself witness to something way bigger than she ever imagined. Now with her life being a threat to one of the biggest international scanda
1. The Last Night of the Rest of her Life

AN: Alright, to be honest, this was kind of inspired after watching "our governor" in action in the movie "Eraser"... pretty good movie, actually, but that's beside the point... anyway, pretty good movie and I got inspired to do this. Now, everything I say about the FBI and stuff- I have no idea if that's the way it really works, I'm just making it all up. So don't send the government after me, kay?

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 1**

**The Last Night of the Rest of her Life**

"Stop fidgeting!"

The boy froze, glancing at the girl with a guilt-ridden face.

"Sorry," he whispered sheepishly.

The girl swatted his arm playfully, giggling as she waggled her finger at him like a child. "Don't apologize, Hojo. And don't whisper, either! Why are you getting so worked up, anyway? It's just my family."

"Easy for you to say," the boy replied sourly. "You're not the guy going to meet the girlfriend's family. It's always hard on us boyfriends, like we're the bad guys or something."

The girl shook her head and smiled her trademark smile, making Hojo's heart beat a little faster and his nervousness dissolve into nothing. "Yeah, but you're _not_ the bad guy," she reminded him quietly, slipping her arm under his and squeezing reassuringly. "You're the good guy, _my_ good guy. My family already knows that."

"You sure?"

The girl rolled her eyes exasperatingly, but could not hold back the warm sparkle within them, shining brightly as she gazed up at the dark-haired man beside her. _That's my Hojo,_ she thought, _a little timid and a little shy, but still really sweet underneath it all._ Before he could protest any further, she quickly leaned up on her tiptoes to plant a small kiss on his cheek, sending his heart racing and his face flaming.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," she promised, turning to knock once again on the door.

In the few seconds it took for someone to finally answer, Hojo mustered up the courage to stand his group despite the nervousness he felt returning. He quickly threw on a friendly smile and vainly tried to brace himself for the worst.

"Kagome!"

The door was thrown open and a young boy came racing out, slamming hard into the girl's stomach, arms flung around her.

Kagome laughed, returning the embrace with slightly less enthusiasm. "Hey, Souta! Long time no see, huh?"

"You're brother's been sitting at the window all day, waiting for you to come home."

Arms still around the child, Kagome looked up to find her mother and grandfather standing in the doorway, smiling warmly. With little effort, she peeled herself away from her brother long enough to rush into her mother's arm's, hugging her tightly.

"Welcome home, dear.'

Kagome smiled, taking in deep breathes of the familiar, lavender perfume and baked cookie aroma that lingered on her mother's sweater. "It's good to be home, Mom."

"Uh, Kagome?" Grandpa spoke up, "Who is your friend, there? You're not going to just leave him standing on the front porch, are you?"

"Oh!" Kagome gasped, blushing furiously. For a moment, she had actually forgotten he was still standing there. Letting go of her mom, Kagome wheeled around to face him, throwing him an apologetic smile before taking his arm once again and pulling him forward. "Sorry. Mom, Grandpa, Souta, I want you to meet Hojo."

Smiling rather forcefully, Hojo mechanically stuck his hand out, secretly praying someone would shake it as he said a little loudly, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Higurashi, Mr. Higurashi, Mr..... uh, I mean..."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, and, to save him the embarrassment of trying to think of a proper title for her young son, took him hand and squeezed it warmly. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Hojo. Kagome has told me nothing but wonderful things about you."

"What else is there to say but that he's wonderful?" Kagome replied, beaming.

"Kagome, that's not true," Hojo protested quietly, blushing.

"Well, I'll be," Grandpa exclaimed, nodding approvingly. "A man that admits to not being perfect. And to think, I wasn't so sure there would be one out there that would be worthy enough for my little girl."

"Grandpa!" Kagome hissed.

"Hojo, won't you come inside?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, gesturing them both into the house. "I just finished a batch of brownies and will have some tea ready soon, so we can sit down and you two can tell us all about college life."

Hojo glanced down at Kagome. She smirked up at him with an expression that plainly read, 'See? I told you they wouldn't bite,'. With a grin, Hojo looked back at the woman and nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Higurashi. I would like that very much."

"Hojo seems... nice."

Kagome looked up from the dish she was drying to smile at her mother.

"He is," she agreed. "And very sweet. 'A perfect gentleman' is what Yuri and the girls call him."

Mrs. Higurashi didn't look up as she finished scrubbing the bowl and handed it to her daughter, pulling out another from the sink. "A perfect gentlemen," she repeated.

Kagome quirked her head to one side, staring at her mother curiously. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing," Mrs. Higurashi replied calmly. "Just thinking about how happy you seem."

Smiling again, Kagome nodded, sneaking a glance into the living room where her grandfather and boyfriend were deep in a discussion about Hojo's archeology major. She shouldn't have been surprised. Her grandfather was always hung up about legends and myths and stories that were always far above her comprehension, but Hojo seemed to be drinking it in, adding his archeological input wherever he thought necessary. At least they seemed to be getting along.

"I am happy," Kagome said quietly. "I mean, Hojo's the perfect guy. He's so sweet and considerate. He spoils me rotten, though. Always bringing me lunch or offering me little gifts for no apparent reason other than he wanted to. And I love how he's so... focused. He's really got his future planned out. He's so dedicated to his studies, and even though he likes me a lot, I appreciate how he's..."

"Got his priorities straight?" Mrs. Higurashi supplied.

"Yeah. He really knows what's important, and he works hard to get what he wants."

"Sounds like he hardly has any faults," Mrs. Higurashi said nonchalantly.

Kagome looked at her mother and quirked an eyebrow. The woman showed no sign of noticing, calmly placing the bowl in the pile of dishes to be dried and picking out a cup from the sink. Kagome furrowed her brows together and sighed. "You can tell, can't you?"

"Tell what, dear? That you're uncomfortable around him, even though you act happy and no one else notices?"

Kagome nodded solemnly. "Yup."

Mrs. Higurashi glanced at her daughter from the corner of her eye. "Kagome, I carried you for nine months, then watched you grow from diapers to degrees in nineteen years. I'm afraid there isn't too much you can hide from me."

"What about Grandpa? He's watched me grow up, too."

Mrs. Higurashi shrugged. "He's a guy."

Kagome giggled.

With a smile, Mrs. Higurashi took another dish and began scrubbing. "Now why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

"I don't know, really," Kagome admitted, frowning at her distorted reflection in the bowl. "I guess I'm a little... intimidated?"

"Because he's so perfect?" Mrs. Higurashi guessed.

Kagome shrugged. "I guess so. I mean," she sighed, "I don't even know what I mean. But, I suppose I'm too scared to let go of him, just because I think he's too perfect. It's like giving up gold because I think I'm better suited to silver, you know? Hojo's perfect, so why would I want to give him up? It's not like I can ever find anything better than perfect."

"Don't worry, honey," her mother replied, smiling as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "I understand. It's hard, I know. You're father was a lot like that when I first met him."

Kagome looked up at her mother. "Inhumanly perfect?"

Mrs. Higurashi chuckled. "Yes, very much so."

"How did you get over it?"

"I talked to him. And you know what surprised me the most?"

"What?' Kagome asked, curiously.

"He told me he thought I was too perfect for him," Mrs. Higurashi replied, laughing. "Me, the 3.4, average student who hated school and grew up wanting to make it big as an actress."

"Really!?" Kagome gasped, stunned. "You wanted to be an actress?"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded, smiling with the warmth of old memories. "Yup. Ran away from home once when my father refused to pay for acting lessons. Grandpa could tell you the story. But when I found out he thought I was perfect, I laughed, and asked him why."

"What did he say?"

The woman looked past her daughter, smiling with a wistful look glazing over her eyes as she recalled the day. "He said that, to, I was absolutely perfect. Maybe not to others, but in his eyes, I was the perfect woman."

"Wow," Kagome said quietly, awestruck.

With a small smile, Mrs. Higurashi shook her head, returning to the present. "Kagome, you're young and full of gifts. Don't ever sell yourself short, thinking you don't deserve something or someone."

Kagome nodded, thinking quietly to herself.

"But," she added, tilting her daughter's face up to look her in the eyes, "remember that your specific 'perfect someone' doesn't have to be a 'perfect' someone. Understand?"

Kagome frowned, but nodded. "I think so."

"Good," Mrs. Higurashi replied, smiling as she released her face. "Now why don't you let me finish these dishes up and you go enjoy the rest of the evening with Hojo."

"Thanks, Mom," Kagome said quietly, waiting for her mother to put down the dishrag and face her. "Thanks for everything."

"Always," she replied softly. "And don't worry too much about Hojo. If he really isn't your perfect someone, you'll know."

"Are you sure?"

"Promise."

Kagome hesitated before finally nodding and making her way into the living room. Mrs. Higurashi watched as Hojo welcomed her arrival and made a spot next to him available on the couch while Grandpa continued complimenting the boy on his superior knowledge, and started lecturing Kagome on what they had just discussed. Kagome smiled and nodded and laughed when appropriate, but the ever-clever Mrs. Higurashi could see her daughter still mulling over their own conversation.

_She'll make the right decision,_ Mrs. Higurashi thought confidently, returning once again to the unattended dishes. _She's smart and has a good heart. Just like her father._

"Kagome?"

Kagome blinked, shaken out of her thoughts, and looked up at Hojo. "Yes?"

"I asked if you were cold. Didn't you hear me?"

Kagome shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Hojo frowned, studying her curiously. "Is something the matter?"

Again, she shook her head, trying to ease his worry. "No, I'm fine. Just kind of dazed off, that's all."

Satisfied with her response, Hojo promptly stopped and removed his jacket, gently throwing it on her own shoulders. "Well, here."

"Hojo," Kagome began to protest, but Hojo only shook his head and playfully pulled the hood over her head.

"I don't want to hear it," he said firmly, grinning. "I worked hard to get on your grandfather's good side. I don't want to mess it all up with bringing you home with a cold."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Hojo, they already liked you. And even if I did get sick, they'd never blame you."

"But I would," Hojo said quietly, suddenly growing serious. "I want to take care of you, Kagome."

Kagome looked up into his warm, chocolate brown eyes staring so calmly into her own stormy blue. Her heart started racing, and suddenly she found her mind clouded with all of her previous doubts she had forced into the back of her mind earlier that evening.

How did she really feel about him? She was always showing off to her friends and now her family how wonderful he was, but when she tried to think about how she felt, all she came up with was a blank.

_I guess I like him... But at this point in our relationship, I shouldn't be guessing, I should know. So why don't I? What's wrong with me?_

Kagome frowned, and opened her mouth to speak. "Hojo, I-"

Suddenly, a loud bang and a short scream interrupted their moment. Their heads swung around to identify the sound when a woman came tearing out of an alleyway, stopped, looking around wildly. It took a few seconds before she noticed their presence in which she promptly started stumbling toward them.

"Help me... please!" she pleaded, gasping for air.

Kagome looked up at Hojo, who looked just as stunned as she did. Turning back to the woman, Kagome began, "What do you-"

BANG

The woman stumbled over something and went crashing to the ground, face first. Without a second thought, Kagome rushed to the woman's side, trying to help her up.

"Kagome!" Hojo cried.

BANG

Kagome jumped, the unfamiliar noise startling her. "Hojo?" she called out, turning to face him.

Hojo stood motionless, eyes wide, mouth gaping, trembling horribly. "Hojo? What's the matter?" Kagome asked, abandoning the girl.

She took one step toward him before she realized it. His shirt. A beautiful creamy white silk shirt she had given him for his birthday last year. The shirt he purposefully wore today to make an impression on the family he was to meet. It always had reminded her of how angelic he seemed to be sometimes. It was now red.

"HOJO!!!" she screamed, running forward. Before she could reach him, however, she saw his face contort in pain as he opened his mouth to speak, but coughed up blood instead. He grunted, not bothering to wipe the crimson liquid off his face before he tried again.

"Ka...go...me... r-run..." he muttered weakly before finally succumbing to the pain and closing his eyes, falling forward to the ground before Kagome's feet.

"HOJO!!!"

"You!"

Startled once again, Kagome whirled around to face the speaker.

A figure stood in front of the alleyway, half immersed in the shadows, watching her. From the half that she could see in the dim streetlight, she could tell it was a dark-haired man, rather tall and in at least his late twenties dressed in long, black leather. Shivers ran up and down her spine as she gazed into his pale, ghost-like face. From that distance, she could not see any distinguishing details but his eyes- his eyes she could not be drawn from. A deep wine color, they bore right into chest and sent her heart beating rapidly once again, but this time, in cold fear.

The stranger narrowed said eyes at her suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

"M-me!?" Kagome squeaked.

"You never mentioned you were coming early," he continued, not hearing her response. "Had I known, I could have spared these... trivialities." He gestured with his hand to include the woman on the ground, which Kagome realized shockingly was dead, and Hojo, lying motionless beside her.

Suddenly, as if viewing the whole scene on a TV screen, it all clicked. "You shot them?" she stated more than asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," the man replied warily, not understanding her bewilderment. "That's how we, in this business, do away with the insignificants."

Kagome tore her eyes away from his to look down at the man at her feet. "Hojo," she whispered, voice trembling terribly.

"Wait a minute," the man said suddenly, returning her attention back to him. His eyes were narrowed at her, studying her, and Kagome felt herself shiver involuntarily. He noticed this, and frowned. "I see," he muttered, as if disappointed in something before finally pulling his hand out of his pocket. Kagome gasped. He was holding a gun. A smooth, shiny black pistol. She gulped.

"I'm afraid the mistake is mine, then," he muttered, somewhat to himself. Shaking his thoughts from his head, he slowly lowered the pistol to take aim for her forehead. "I'm sure you understand."

Kagome was frozen in fear, unable to move.

_What in the world is going on?_ she thought frantically. _Is this really happening to me? Wasn't I just in my house a few minutes ago, laughing with Hojo and Grandpa? How can I be standing here, waiting for my life to end like this?_

She watched, almost as if in slow motion, as the slim, bony finger pulled on the trigger.

_Somebody... help me..._

BANG

The hit felt as if she had just been punched in the stomach by a charging rhino. All the air she had held in her throat escaped rather violently as her body was hurled backward, crashing onto the cold pavement several feet from where she had stood. She could feel her back and ribs strain with the force of the collision, but strangely enough, it wasn't the pain her mind was focusing on. In fact, she was having a hard time focusing at all.

Her eyes blinked rather sluggishly, vaguely taking in the details of the abandoned street. Even the bright light in front of her slowly swirled in fantastic, dancing little spots before her eyes. It didn't take long before even the dancing lights faded and everything dissolved into black.

AN: okay, there's the first chapter. Personally, I'm pretty proud of it and proud of how well everything's playing out. I've apparently been in mad mania writing mode for the last few days and I've already got the first four chapters done, still working on the fifth. For those of you who know me, this is incredibly rare. Nonetheless, I'm gonna try and pace the chapters. Even though I have some chapters done, I won't put them all out there, just to make you wait forever for the next chapter I'm working on to be done. So, hopefully, if I can keep up the writing, you won't have to wait too long in between each chapter... at least that's the way I'm trying to work it out, anyway. Wish me luck, and hope you enjoy!


	2. The Death of Kagome Higurashi

**AN: Okay, so here's the stats. I haven't been able to finish chapter 5 yet, mainly cause of homework. Who knew all these projects would take so freakin long? Anyway,  
I only got three reviews (hooray for 3), so for the three that replied, thanks a bunch and I'm sorry you have to wait so long for a chapter that's already finished. It's all about the time! School's fun and all, but... it's still school...**

**hEyKyRa13**

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 2**

**The Death of Kagome Higurashi**

SMACK

"I can't believe it! We almost had him!"

"Chill out. We almost had nothing. Don't take your frustration out on the steering wheel. It didn't do anything."

Eyes snapped to glare at the speaker. "Are you kidding? This is the first time we've caught him in the act! We should have gone in for the kill! Man to man! Mono e mono!"

A second pair of eyes rolled exasperatingly. "Right, and after his cronies popped out of the black van across the street and dismembered you, it'd turn into Man to Bucket o' Man parts."

The first speaker chose to ignore the statement in favor of throwing his partner a sly glance. "So, was that a hint of concern I heard in your voice, dear Sango?"

Chocolate brown eyes bore into him, making him shrink back despite himself. "Miroku, if this guy weren't just a few spots above you on my hit list, I'd be one of his next customers, begging him to do the female population a huge favor by castrating you."

The young man named Miroku grinned sheepishly. "At this point, I'm not quite sure of who's more dangerous."

Sango smirked satisfactorily before returning her attention to their third party lying on the backseat next to her. "As long as we keep that clear, I'm happy."

Miroku couldn't help but smile and shake his head, returning his gaze to the road. "Anything to keep you happy, my love."

"Miroku," Sango began, but was unable to continue due to the newcomer starting to stir.

Kagome groaned, as she was first aware of the pounding between her ears. Her hand reached to cup her forehead and shade her eyes as she cautiously opened one. The first thing she noticed was the lovely woman leaning over her, her long, dark tresses spilling over her shoulder and her pale, sandy skin scrunched in concern. Her first response was to shy away nervously.

Sango had expected as much, and tried to smile reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry. I'm a good guy."

"Don't you mean _we're _the good guys?" Miroku spoke up.

Sango rolled her eyes. "I know what I meant, and I know you know it, too. To any woman, you _are_ the bad guy!" she hissed. Smiling again at Kagome, she winked. "Ignore him," she advised, tilting her head in his direction. "It'll save you a lot of trouble."

Kagome's head spun around, but she instantly regretted it as her mind swirled in whirl of pain. She slowly turned back to Sango, groaning again.

"Are you okay?"

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but found herself surprisingly void of speech. With a frown, she cleared her throat and tried again.

"My head," she whispered hoarsely.

"See!" Sango cried, looking up angrily at the driver. Kagome slowly swiveled her head around, this time successfully making the effort without too much consequence, but could see little more than a short, black ponytail and a slim, silver stud in one ear. "I _told_ you you were too rough on her! She's too tiny for you to be slamming your hulk into!"

Kagome noticed a pair of cool coffee colored eyes glancing back at them from the rear-view mirror, brows furrowed. "Hey, I saved her from being shot in the head, didn't I?"

Sango snorted. "You couldn't really call it 'saving' if you winded up killing her in the process."

"But I _didn't_ kill her," Miroku pointed out stubbornly.

"Hmph," Sango replied noncommittally, returning to Kagome with a smirk. "I'm afraid you can thank _that_," she jerked her thumb up at Miroku, "idiot for your headache."

Kagome allowed a small smile and sank her head back onto the seat. "Thank you, Idiot," she muttered.

Miroku simply threw his head back and laughed. Sango grinned and clapped Kagome's shoulder approvingly. "I knew I'd like you."

It took a while for Sango to stop smiling and notice that Kagome wasn't joking around with them. Her hand covered her face, blocking her off from view.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sango asked, gingerly peeling her fingers back from her face. She gasped in shock. Kagome's face was stained with tears.

"What's the-"

"I'm the idiot!" Kagome screamed, rolling to her other side to hide her face from the others. Sango glanced up at Miroku who was able to offer little more than a supportive look. Sango sighed and tried resting a hand on her shoulder, which was trembling terribly.

"You're... you're not an idiot-"

"Yes I am!" Kagome insisted, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm such an idiot! H-Hojo... how could he... he's dead! Hojo's dead! Because I'm an idiot! I'm such an idiot! He's dead! He's gone! Gone forever... because... cause of me, oh Hojo!"

Finally, Kagome gave in to Sango's calming back rubs and soft, comforting words and leaned up enough to collapse into the woman's arms, weeping and moaning incoherently into her shoulder. Sango only knew to allow her tears to flow and to continue rubbing her back.

"Sure wish I could help," Miroku mentioned from the front.

Sango threw him a glare that forced Miroku's gaze away from both women. Shaking her head, Sango merely sighed and waited for Kagome's tears to subside. "I know there's... nothing... absolutely nothing I can do to... to ease your pain, but-"

"Can I just go home, now?" Kagome begged softly, sniffling.

Sango couldn't speak, looking up to Miroku for support. She heard his deep sigh before he spoke. "I'm sorry, Kagome, but I'm afraid you can't go home."

Kagome sat up, tears frozen on her face, looking wildly back and forth between Sango and Miroku, not believing what she was hearing. "What!? What do you mean I can't go home! After everything I've just been through, who are you to tell me I can't go home? To my family? And how do you know who I am? Who the hell are you!?"

Sango tried to calm her down. "Please, settle down! I'll explain everything, I promise. You deserve to know that much, at least."

Kagome had to force herself to sit back, but her fear and concern still showed plainly on her face and her hands clenched the fabric of her skirt apprehensively.

Sango figured this was about as calm as she was going to get, and so began with a sigh. "My name is Sango. Miroku and I are undercover FBI agents that deal with some of the sneakier criminals that are too big a case for regular law enforcements."

"You know the guy you saw?" Miroku jumped in. "The tall, dark, bony guy?" Kagome nodded. "Well, we've been tracking this guy down for years. You should consider yourself lucky that you got out-"

Sango abruptly kicked the back of his seat, silencing him immediately. "His name is Onigumo Naraku," she continued. "The Wall Street Journal knows him as Bill Gates' rival, owning several of the world's biggest corporation and at least a third of the stock of everything else worth his time, but that's just his day face."

"Yeah," Miroku replied heatedly, "you should see his entertainment interview. 'Yes, Barbara, in my spare time I like to do a little golfing, maybe some camping with a few of my billionaire buddies up in the Swiss Alps, a bit of moonlight murdering...'"

"Murder?" Kagome gasped.

"It's true," Sango admitted, nodding. "We've been suspecting for some time now that Naraku's been using his big shot connections to take down a lot of important people. People including business presidents, political senators, even big shots in our division. We've lost a lot of friends on the force because they got too close to cracking this guy's defenses."

"He works by using and abusing people," Miroku added. "He manipulates them through deception, and he's got the goods to do it, too- money, power, fame, a name spoken to the right people- anything a person could want he's got access to. Once he's done using them, they become what he likes to call 'dispensable'."

"Like the woman from the alley," Kagome said.

Sango nodded. "We didn't have time to identify her when we came in. Frankly, we were more concerned with the living girl than the dead one."

"And even though he never intended on letting you go alive, by concentrating on you, we gave Naraku the opportunity he needed to get rid of the body and any evidence linking that girl to him," Miroku added gravely. "That's what he does. If someone gets too close, or he's done using one of his people, he disposes of them quickly and quietly, then completely erases his trail, making him nearly impossible to snag."

"Nothing we have is hardcore enough to pin him," Sango replied angrily. "Our superiors say our stuff is too theoretical, and that we need something to solidly prove he's guilty."

"Something like what?" Kagome asked.

"Something like you," Miroku stated bluntly, watching her from the rear-view mirror.

"Me!?" Kagome squeaked, jumping up in surprise. She spun around to look at Sango, who confirmed his comment with a nod. "B-but why m-me!?"

"More specifically," Sango corrected, "we need a witness to testify against him in trial, which is exactly what you are after kind of being an audience of one to Naraku's murder of that girl and... Hojo."

"See," Miroku continued, "like we said before, you're the first we've managed to snatch from Naraku alive."

Sango snorted. "Heck, you're the first we've managed to snatch from Naraku, _period_."

"B-but," Kagome stammered, trying to make sense of all this at once, feeling her headache return with the effort, "I-if I'm so important t-to getting him in t-trouble... w-well, w-won't he... you k-know..."

"Try to get rid of you?" Miroku filled in. "Yup."

"Miroku!" Sango exclaimed, appalled.

"But hey!" he replied cheerfully, throwing Kagome a cheerful grin. "That's what you got us for, right?"

"S-so that's... that's why I can't... go home?" Kagome asked, already predicting the answer.

Sango nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. Right now, Naraku knows you're alive, and with us, and will do everything in his power to change that. So, for the time being, you have to stay absolutely as far from your home as possible."

"Remember, Kagome," Miroku added, "this isn't just for your safety, but for the safety of your family as well. Naraku is not beneath torturing a victim's family to get what he wants, which, in this case, is your life."

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes. The thought of her family being affected hadn't even occurred to her yet. She thought of her mother, her grandfather, little Souta, and suddenly closed her gaping jaw, brows set. She nodded solemnly. "I... understand."

Sango smiled, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "Good."

Kagome looked up at her curiously. "So... what'll happen to me now?"

"You've heard of the witness protection program, right?" Miroku asked. "Well, that's pretty much what we're left with."

"I have to leave my family?" Kagome asked, a little nervous. "My friends? My school? My-"

"Life?" Miroku put in. "'Fraid so."

Sango leaned forward to smack the back of his head loudly.

"OW!"

"You don't know the meaning of the word 'tact', do you?" Sango hissed.

Miroku continued rubbing his head tenderly. "Yeah, well, according to you, there are quite a few words I need to know- 'personal space', 'shut up'... 'No, Miroku', just to name a few."

"Buy a freaking dictionary!" Sango growled.

"But Sango-"

"No, its okay," Kagome interrupted quietly. "I understand."

"You do?" Sango repeated, surprised, purposely ignoring Miroku's smug expression.

Kagome nodded, an almost thoughtful expression on her face. "Well, it's true, isn't it? I really can't go back... not if I don't want anything to happen to Mom, Grandpa and Souta."

"That's true," Sango agreed. "And don't forget, Miroku and I won't let anything happen to you until the day of the trial."

"How long will it be until the trial?" Kagome asked.

"Well," Miroku began, "with you in our hands, we finally have enough solid evidence to propose a trial, all the way up to the federal courts, but the people up there are nothing but a bunch of stiff-collared pencil pushers," he added bitterly.

"Miroku!"

"It's true," he protested stubbornly. "They're a bunch of ancient asses who get rich off of the people they're supposed to be representing and think that because they've existed since the beginning of time, they know better than the populace what the people need in terms of safety when they've never had to lift a finger to a trigger before."

Sango frowned, but did little to correct him. "He's not wrong," she confided to Kagome under her breath. "But if the sups were to hear his ranting, they could book him just because he gets on their nerves."

"Really?" Kagome repeated.

Sango sighed, slowly rubbing her temples with her index and thumb. "It certainly wouldn't be the first time," she muttered.

"_Anyway_," Miroku continued loudly, switching the subject, "back to your question, Kagome, knowing them, it could take some time before we can bring Naraku to court."

"Like how long?" Kagome wanted to know.

Miroku shrugged. "Practically anywhere between three weeks to three years."

"Three years!?" Kagome cried, her hopes of seeing her family soon crushed before they were born.

Sango noticed the girl's crest-fallen expression and nodded forcefully. "No matter what we do and what evidence we bring them, it's still all up to them."

"But why so long?"

"The real reason?" Miroku answered sourly. "Money."

"Money?"

Miroku gritted his teeth, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. "When you come down to it, they're about as patriotic as a gumball, with about just as much brain. Naraku's one of their primary financial sources during election years, and they don't want to risk their cushy seats in the Capitol building over Naraku's rightful sentence."

"So," Kagome began, recapping what she had just heard, "you don't know when the trial will be held? Will I really have to be... protected... for a few years?"

"Most likely not," Sango replied reassuringly. "I figure more like several months."

"Best case scenario," Miroku added under his breath.

"But what about my family?" Kagome asked cautiously. "What'll happen to them while I'm... away?"

Sango's face fell, and Kagome gulped. "Well, for the sole reason of security and absolute secrecy, for the next few months, you'll pretty much have to be dead."

"_Dead_!? What do you mean, _dead_!?" Kagome squealed.

"Not literally, of course. While your family will think you're dead, you'll be in another part of the country with a new identity and, for the time being, a new life. Kagome Higurashi, for the next few months, will cease to exist. Nothing'll get by me and Miroku, of course," Sango added quickly, noting Kagome's pale face. "No one but us will know who and where you are. Not even our sups have authority to know."

"All for the sake of your safety," Miroku spoke up heroically.

Kagome's face fell, her bangs covering her eyes. She chuckled lifelessly. "Hojo died for the sake of my safety. Wonder how this one'll work out?" she wondered aloud.

Miroku opened his mouth to speak, but Sango silenced him immediately with a stern glance. Her partner nodded understandingly and focused on the road. Sango gave him a small smile of gratitude before returning her attention to the overwhelmed Kagome.

* * *

AN: Okay, so there's chapter two! Trying really hard to find the time to work on the rest, but so far, no luck. But, as Dory said, you gotta "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming..."


	3. Her Guardian Angel?

**AN: Okay! Chapter 3... a little longer than I had anticipated in posting this, but what the heck, it's up, isn't it? Anyway, I'm happy to announce that both chapter 5 and 6 are completed, and I've started on 7. 6 is kinda long, though, so 7 might be a little on the short side. I'm not sure yet. So far, they've all averaged at about 10-12 pages on Word, and 6 I believe is 16 or 17. Oh well, more for you, right?**

Anyway, sorry for taking so long with this. I'm on a role with the inspiration, it's all about finding the time to write, now. I try to write as much as I can on Friday before I go to work, because that's pretty much the only time I can spare from school work. But, at least the chapters are pumping out, let's just cross our fingers and hope it lasts!

Enjoy!

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 3**

**Her Guardian Angel?**

Sir!

"What is it, Rin?"

Sir, it's Sango and... and Miroku. They're requesting to see you.

The older man rolled his eyes and pressed the intercom button again. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

The woman hesitated, and the Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation distinctly heard a masculine chuckle followed by a loud slap and a groan of pain.

But, Mr.... uh, Sesshoumaru, sir... Miroku, stop whining, it's what you deserved... um, they don't have an appointment... unless, that is, you scheduled one without notifying-

Sesshoumaru interrupted her nervous ramblings. "Dammit, Rin, just send them up already!"

Y-yes, sir!

The intercom buzzed momentarily before Rin finally disconnected and Sesshoumaru allowed himself to sigh heavily, leaning back in his chair to rub his closed eyelids. He really didn't know where he possessed the patience to deal with that girl. For the last few months since she started working as his secretary, he's probably spent more money on aspirin than his cell phone bills. Why did he hire her, again?

"Because she's the only person in this entire place who can keep my office and files organized," he told himself with a small smile, cracking an eye open to survey the aforementioned office, impressive despite the relatively low income he made as chief, without a scrap of paper lying around to Rin's disfavor.

Knock Knock Knock

Sesshoumaru removed his hand and replaced them both on his desk, lacing his fingers together expectantly. "Come in, you two," he said calmly.

The door opened and in walked Sango and Miroku, the latter, Sesshoumaru noticed with a concealed grin, still rubbing the back of his head gingerly, throwing occasional death glares at his partner, who merely ignored him. Sesshoumaru suppressed a chuckle. Though he'd die before he'd ever admit it, he'd always admired Sango, more for her ability to keep Miroku in check than her ability to track down non-law abiding citizens. He covered his amusement by clearing his throat, and stretched a hand out over the chairs, inviting them to sit. He waited until they were situated before speaking.

"Well?"

Sango eyed him warily, trying to predict her boss's reaction. "Well what? We didn't get Naraku, if that's what you're hinting at," she said bluntly.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow twitched in mild irritation. Sango was one of the very few he permitted to speak to him so boldly. She was one of the best, after all, but still...

He smirked. "Well, aren't we quite the confident one? What made you think I expected you to do otherwise?" he replied, unperturbed.

Sango caught the sarcasm in his voice and narrowed her eyes haughtily.

If he felt any tension from her testy manner, he certainly didn't show it. And he knew she'd hate him for it. "Well," he continued, leaning back in his chair, fingers still laced over his chest, eying them knowingly, "if you didn't bring me back Naraku's head on a golden platter, what did you bring me? I'm curious to know," he added honestly, "considering you wouldn't have made the effort to barge into my office without something other than a failed mission to appeal to me."

"It wasn't barging, technically," Miroku pointed out, "because you gave us permission to enter."

"So I did," Sesshoumaru answered. "And so, tell me, why exactly did I do that?"

"Because while we didn't bring you Naraku's head on a plate," Sango replied, her anger already melting away with an excited, almost childish grin, "we did bring you a menu."

"A menu?"

Miroku nodded, obviously pleased with himself. "Yup, in the form of Kagome Higurashi."

Sesshoumaru stared at him, silent, for a few moments before he quirked an eyebrow impatiently. "Miroku, as much as it would work against you, I don't think someone like Naraku will confess if we sent him a prostitute as bait."

Miroku's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest in his defense before he paused and actually considered what his boss just said. Sango sent him a look that promised him he would be receiving several more hits to the head before the day was over before she turned to Sesshoumaru and smacked her hand on his desk.

"Kagome Higurashi is a witness," Sango exclaimed impatiently. "She was standing less than ten feet away when she saw Naraku himself take down some girl in the downtown fourth district and her boyfriend. It's a miracle we managed to get her out of there before she became victim number three."

"A direct witness? Alive?" Sesshoumaru repeated, his golden eyes showing more interest than he had intended. Nonetheless, this was a cause for a little excitement.

"Seems like Naraku's getting a little on the cocky side," Miroku replied smugly, folding his arms behind his head. "Letting someone like that slip by? It's not like our man to mess up."

"Nor is it like him to forgive and forget, either," Sesshoumaru added seriously, eyeing the two of them purposely. "Don't get too comfy just yet. The hard part has just begun."

"But we've got our witness!" Miroku reminded him happily. "We can finally file for a trial! Do you realize how long we've waited for this?"

"Do you realize how long we'll have to wait again if we lose her?" Sesshoumaru snapped back. "You getting this Higurashi girl is nothing but pure luck, and I doubt Naraku will make another mistake like it anytime soon should we lose her, which we all know he's gonna make sure we do. We've gotta keep her alive and away from him, because this is probably gonna be the only chance we've got."

Sango nodded in agreement, holding up a thick manila file. "I've got her transferal records right here. Kagome Higurashi's funeral is being held the day after tomorrow while the real Kagome will be thousands of miles away."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "That's not gonna be enough. We can't just dump her in Hicksville, Oklahoma and expect Naraku to sit around, waiting for the trial to begin."

"You really think he could find her after she's placed?" Miroku asked.

"Crooks with far less power than Naraku have done it before," Sesshoumaru told them.

"Miroku and I'll be with her," Sango began, but was instantly cut off.

"No you won't," Sesshoumaru said firmly. "Seeing you two lurking around will be like a neon sign pointing to her whereabouts."

"So what do you suggest?" Miroku asked curiously.

Sesshoumaru furrowed his brows together, already forming a plan in the back of his mind despite all efforts to push it away. But the more he thought about it, the less alternatives he realized he had. With a final sigh, he closed his eyes and said quietly, "What she needs is a bodyguard."

Sango noticed his reluctance and replied suspiciously, "You sound like you have someone in mind.'

"Trust me," Sesshoumaru said wearily, "I wish I didn't."

* * *

The mess hall of the LA County State Penitentiary was loud and unruly- more like a high school cafeteria than a dining area for "hardened criminals". Men in dark garbs and sunglasses lined the walls and blocked the entrance, not bothering to participate in the ritual lunchtime brawl in favor of watching a bunch of thugs beat each other up. There was an underground gambling ring run among some of the new recruits, and bets were already stacking on who would emerge from the room victorious. 

With this in mind, several pairs of eyes glanced into the far corner, hoping for a little action to fill their pockets. Their gaze fell on a single young man sitting alone and away from the shouting buffoons, poking his fork into a suspicious substance he was told was supposed to be mashed peas, but still failed to discover any discerning features that suggested at any time the stuff was edible. A loud grumble from his stomach, however, told him to give the slimy 'Salisbury steak' a second inspection for mold, so with a sigh, he moved his fork from the peas to the lumpy brown mass on his plate.

"Hey, Inuyasha!"

The young man poked a hole in the supposed steak and grimaced when he noticed more greasy brown goo ooze from the center.

"Aw, come on, Dog boy! Ain't ya gonna join in the fun?"

He furrowed his brow and chewed his lip thoughtfully, a tiny white fang poking out over his lower lip. _Do I take a risk and eat it? Or should I wait until tomorrow when they serve the sandwiches?_

"Hah, I don't think he's listening to you, Tony!"

"Oh, shut up!"

Amber orbs eyed the meat carefully, almost as if expecting it to jump up and attack him at any moment. _I wish I could remember if it was the steak or the lasagna that one guy went to the hospital for,_ he thought wistfully.

Suddenly, he felt a rough finger poking him in the shoulder, and with a sigh, he decided to give up on the meal.

"What's the matter, Mutt? Us meager humans not good enough for you to have a little fun with?"

The one called Inuyasha did little more than swivel one of his fuzzy white ears toward the intrusion, refusing to give the guy his full attention. _Punks like him are like little squirrels,_ he thought, irritated. _Give 'em a nut, and they'll never leave you alone until you give 'em more._

"Quite the opposite, actually," he replied apathetically. "In fact, I get the honor of spending my time in this dump with you lovely gentlemen day after day because I apparently had 'a little fun' with a human. But by the time my little fun is over, there's no one to play with anymore."

The guy behind him sneered, pulling him around abruptly and shoving his face inches from his nose. "Well, what about me? I think I can offer you something worth your time."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, appearing almost bored, not intimidated in the least. "Sorry, I'm not gay."

"What'd you say!?" the guy yelled, face livid. Without another word, he pulled his fist back and swung as hard as he could.

CLANG

The plate went flying, sending all of its sloppy contents splattering onto the floor and several inmates who glared daggers at him. The guy looked around wildly for the dog-eared boy who dodged him when he felt a light tap on the shoulder. Spinning around, his eyes widened.

"See, this is why playing with humans is no fun."

SLAM

The guy crashed to the ground, face first, right into what used to be Inuyasha's steak. The said young man sighed, looking as thrilled as if he was just made to do the dishes. "They're like one of those wimpy little baby dolls. They talk way too much for things that really don't say anything worth my time and the batteries don't last long enough." Kicking a heap of carrots onto his still form, Inuyasha dug his hands into the pockets of his orange jumper and solemnly walked away, ignoring the green bills flashing in the corner of his vision as groans were heard and bets were collected.

As soon as he made it into his cell, he promptly curled up onto his bunk and tried to get at least a little sleep in before the stampede. Fat chance.

He was in his cell for less than five minutes before the rest of them were marched in by the guards like a mindless herd of pack animals. Most filed past his cell, some sending him either compliments or death threats for his earlier performance, none of which he paid any attention to. Only two stopped in front of the cell, waiting until a uniformed officer opened the door to be let in.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mighty hanyou king of the cell, himself," remarked one, laughing crudely.

"Oh, Lord Inuyasha," cooed the other, bowing low while his buddy chortled helplessly, "whatever might I do to serve you?"

Inuyasha sighed. So much for sleep. "I'd ask for you to leave the toilet seat down every once and a while, but I wouldn't want to do something as cruel as leave you to die of thirst, now, would I?"

The first speaker laughed even harder while the second scowled and both Inuyasha and his friend, punching the latter in the side. He fell over, but the action did nothing but make him laugh even more. His partner rolled his eyes exasperatingly and promptly plopped on his bottom bunk, looking for all the world like he had meant to do that in the first place. It took a while before the third cell member calmed down enough to crawl back into bed. Less than twenty minutes later, the lights went out. Bedtime for the residents of LA County State Penitentiary.

Inuyasha rolled onto his side and reached into his pillowcase, quietly tearing a small slit in the pillow with his claw and removing two wads of fluffy cotton. Without a word, he stuck them into the little white triangles on top of his head and lay back down onto the pillow. The earplugs weren't the most effective tools to use against his cellmates' nightly snoring, but at least it spared him the worst of a chain of headaches he had to look forward to in the morning. One of the downsides of having really good hearing- you have really _really _good hearing, whether you like it or not. That means something that merely sounds loud and irritating to a regular human will enter Inuyasha's sensitive ears and pound inside his head for hours, ringing incessantly.

Inuyasha sighed before finally closing his eyes wearily. _So ends another day of my life,_ he thought feebly, waiting for unconsciousness to give him refuge from his miserable reality.

Just as he was teetering over into a peaceful slumber, footsteps permeated the cotton wads to vibrate below his temples. With a growl, he abruptly pulled his pillow up and shoved his head underneath, clamping it tightly over his ears. The footsteps continued, walking with a slow and deliberate steadiness that radiated the effect of someone important. Inuyasha pretended to not care, but nonetheless readjusted the pillow so that one ear poked out enough to hear anything that might happen. Closer and closer they approached until they finally stopped- right in front of his cell.

Despite his overwhelming curiosity, Inuyasha willed himself to steady his breathing and remain still, not giving away his still being awake while a guard fished through his ring of keys and opened the door. His cellmates were still dead asleep, immune to the fact that someone was walking into the cell.

Inuyasha frowned, and faintly sniffed the air. Whoever it was wasn't a guard, but was wearing some expensive smelling cologne and an executive suite. The faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air around the stranger and something else vaguely familiar. Inuyasha, not for the first time, cursed the prison and its inhabitants for screwing up his sense of smell with its toxic food and lack of sanitation. It wasn't until the stranger paused in front of his bed and spoke that Inuyasha's eyes snapped open in recognition.

"Don't pretend you're asleep, little brother."

"Sesshoumaru!?" Inuyasha yelled, sitting up and spinning around all at once, for that one moment forgetting how close the ceiling was to his bed. The top of his head collided with rough cement, and the next few moments were spent cradling his injured ears and muttering curses under his breath before he finally glared at the unaffected newcomer.

"How charming," Sesshoumaru said sardonically, watching his little brother carefully. Maybe he was making a mistake. He could almost feel Sango and Miroku exchanging doubtful glances behind him, outside the cell. At this point, he couldn't blame them.

"Forget that," Inuyasha spat, releasing one hand to point accusingly at him. "What the hell are you doing here? Don't tell me they've finally decided they've had enough of you up there and are putting you where you deserve to be."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Don't get your hopes up, Inuyasha. I'm not going anywhere, but perhaps you might be."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What makes you think I want to leave?"

As if on cue, the man on the bunk below him made an awfully loud noise that, unfortunately for the two demons still awake, was not from his mouth. Sesshoumaru cast a thoughtful glance down before returning his gaze to the hanyou, quirking an eyebrow.

Inuyasha looked away irritably, his silence answering his own question.

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat impatiently. "As I was saying, Inuyasha, I can arrange for you to get out of here."

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah right, straight into some prison in Malaysia, most likely."

"No, try straight onto the streets," Sesshoumaru corrected. "No probation, no restraints, no anything."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, turning away indifferently, but Sesshoumaru didn't miss the way his ears flicked in his direction, belaying his interest.

"I'm serious," he continued, knowing he was winning him over. "We'll provide lodging, transportation, even a job if you want. You'll have access to a checking account with over one hundred thousand dollars in it, plus three different credit cards in your name."

Inuyasha stubbornly refused to face Sesshoumaru, but couldn't even deny to himself that the offer didn't sound tempting, especially in comparison to eight more years in this dump. But Inuyasha wasn't one to be fooled that easily.

"What's the catch?" he asked, his tone a little more eager than he would have liked.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Nothing much. You just have to make sure this one girl stays alive for the next few months."

"You want me to be a babysitter?" Inuyasha scoffed, looking back at his brother to make sure he was joking. He was only slightly taken back by the demon's serious demeanor.

"Inuyasha, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I had any other choice," Sesshoumaru retorted. "Trust me, I've thought of everything else, but against this enemy, there's no one else I can rely on to keep her safe."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, curious. "And who, exactly, is worthy enough of requiring my attention, may I ask?"

"She's a witness. A very important witness, might I add. One who can get a big time criminal in your shoes for a very long time. A criminal who deserves it."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at what he assumed was an exaggeration. "Oooh, there's somebody out there to make big brother Sesshoumaru shiver in his boots! Please, give me a name so I can be his new best friend."

"It's Naraku," Sesshoumaru replied curtly.

Inuyasha spun around, this time without crashing into anything, and stared wide-eyed at Sesshoumaru, searching for something to hint that this whole thing was a joke. But the demon held his stony expression, knowing that that name would spark Inuyasha's interest. In fact, it was one of the reasons Sesshoumaru had thought of Inuyasha in the first place. True, Sango and Miroku didn't think it a good idea to rely on someone still serving time in the local county jail. But Sesshoumaru knew better.

"Are you sure," Inuyasha said after a pregnant pause, "that this chick will be enough to put him away for good?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "She's the first witness we've managed to get a hold of, and her testimony is what we've been waiting for for years. We, or rather you, keep her alive until the trial, I can guarantee Naraku a permanent residency here."

Inuyasha frowned, chewing his lip unconsciously. Sesshoumaru allowed him time to think, not wanting to rush him. It wouldn't do to screw it all up now, especially when he was so close to helping him out. With a sigh, he slowly turned and made his way out of the cell, not looking at Sango or Miroku.

"I'll give you some time to think about it," he said quietly. "I don't want you to-"

"I'll do it."

Sesshoumaru slowly turned around to study his brother carefully. Inuyasha was staring intently at a spot on the wall several feet away, his fists clenched tightly, his expression set. Sesshoumaru did not smile, but merely nodded understandingly.

"Very well, then."

* * *

AN: Okay, so, here's Inuyasha's grand entrance... as a convict? It'll make sense as it goes along, I promise... fits in quite nicely with the actual Inuyasha plot, actually... anyway, I want to try to finish chapter 7 before I upload chapter 4, but if it ends up taking too long, I'll post it anyway. Thanks to all who have read and replied, so far, and don't forget to put the little blue box to work! 

_Larnom_: Yeah! Bonnie-san reviewed! I be happy... well, I guess now you know who the guy in the gun is... and now Inuyasha's in the picture!... So, review again, okie dokie?.... Tink-a-link...

_Inuyasha'smistress_: Updated, as requested. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying this. I'm enjoying writing!

_spazzchickennli: _ Let me guess, not a big Hojo fan?... Well, honestly, me neither. Like Mrs. Higurashi said, the dude's too perfect. All love interests must come with dog ears, an attitude and a subduing spell... so, sorry Hojo,.... you just don't qualify...

_kyoko-the-lonely-demon626_: Yes, I realize it begins dark, but you can't have a complete Inuyasha fic without a little comedy... so I plan to spread liberal goops of humor throughout this... key word- "plan"

_Inuyasha'smistress_: Yup. Undercover agents. ... at least, I hope they are... not saying that they're not, it just that the way I wrote it, I hope it doesn't make them look too... Blockbuster-ish movie cop, you know?

* * *

_Next chapter_: Protected meets Protector 

_Involves_: Kagome meets Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, Inuyasha gets verbally "sat" by Kagome, Sesshoumaru actually says "I love you", and Miroku gets pitched a stapler to the head.... pick your favorite


	4. Protected meets Protector

**AN: Okay, as it stands, I've worked some on chapter 7, and the end is in sight (not of the fic, of course, just the chapter... trust me, I am NOWHERE near the end.... heh). Anyway, I did promise that if I took too long, I'd go ahead and post chapter 4, so here it is. Again, homework is stacking up again, but I've still got the chapters in my head. I have to say, this is the best I've been at actually writing in a very long time. A seventy-five page long inspiration streak and still going! I just hope I don't run out of steam anytime soon!**

**Well, anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Dude, if I owned Inuyasha, you think I'd be writing this _here_ instead of making this into some movie? Yeah, I think not!**

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 4**

**Protected meets Protector**

Kagome took another gulp of water and set the glass down rather forcefully on the table, the icy drink doing little to calm her racing nerves. She had spent the last twenty-four hours within the confines of a small, barely accommodating room stationed in the very back of the department, imagining every noise and sound as Naraku, coming to finish what he had started. The poor girl had practically jumped out of her skin when Sango opened the door, summoning her to the interrogation room where she was to be told what her new identity would be.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, laughing at herself. "Wow, I even look as freaked out as I feel," she muttered.

"You don't look that bad to me."

Kagome jumped out of her seat, spinning around fearfully. Her hand clutched for her heart when she saw it was only Miroku, but glared daggers at him nonetheless. Miroku smiled nervously. _Wow, you'd think she and Sango were twins or something._

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagome snapped. "Doing Naraku a favor?"

"Of course not," Miroku replied cheerfully. "I'm on your side, remember?"

Kagome's hand was not moved from her chest, nor did her expression lighten.

Miroku noticed and rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, smiling as another approach came to mind. "Come on, now, Kagome," he said softly, closing the distance between them. He looked down at her, noticing her nervousness returning, and smiled, leaning forward. "After risking my life to save yours, don't you trust me?"

SMACK

He shouldn't have been surprised, yet Miroku failed to dodge the flying stapler anyway. Cradling the back of his head, he turned to find Sango fuming in the doorway, Sesshoumaru behind her. At first, he tried to smile sheepishly, but Sango's glare quickly demolished that idea, so he gave up and slowly made his way out of the room, sulking.

Sango's glare did not lift until he was out of her sight before she sighed, shaking her head. "Kagome, trust me, if you want to stay alive, Naraku's not the only one you should be protecting yourself from."

"Thanks for the advice," Kagome muttered, collapsing back into her chair.

"_Anyway,_" Sango continued, eager to change the subject, "Kagome Higurashi, this is Sesshoumaru Taisho, our FBI chief and my boss."

Sesshoumaru barely nodded in acknowledgement, brushing past Sango to take a seat across the table from Kagome. Sango huffed loudly, but sat next to Kagome anyway, whose nerves were, for the third time that morning, returning with a vengeance.

"Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru began in his business-like tone, "I'm sure Sango and Miroku have made it clear the gravity and unique weight of the situation you're in."

Kagome glanced at Sango who gave her a smile of reassurance. She nodded. "Y-yes, Mr. Taisho."

"And you are aware, of course, of what must happen next, correct?"

"I have to be p-put into the witness p-protection program," Kagome recited like a well-versed schoolgirl. "I have to... throw away my old life for a new one."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Miss Higurashi, the witness protection program is for individuals who have observed a crime taking place and are put under the protection of our department until that specific criminal is put behind bars and the witness is no longer in jeopardy. Needless to say, however, Naraku is no ordinary criminal."

Kagome's heartbeat quickened. "So are you saying I don't qualify?" she squeaked.

"Quite the contrary, you are very much over qualified," Sesshoumaru replied calmly. "However, due to the magnitude of the circumstances with which you were brought here, exceptional actions must be taken to counteract with this... unprecedented condition."

Sango watched Kagome's unease grow and rolled her eyes. _Miroku isn't the only one who needs to buy a dictionary. Key word- discretion._

"What... kind of... actions?" Kagome asked guardedly.

Sesshoumaru looked up and made a gesture with his hand, signaling Miroku to come in. As he did, he looked at Kagome critically. "Look, I'll be frank with you. Our department has never dealt with a felon that possessed complete authority to such a degree as Naraku, so I'm not lying when I say this whole ordeal is unprecedented. So, under the circumstances, what we're going to propose is something never really done before."

"What?" Kagome asked, her breath caught in her throat.

"We've arranged for you to have a bodyguard," he said bluntly.

"A babysitter, more like it."

Kagome whirled around to face the speaker. Miroku quietly sat down across from Sango while the stranger plopped onto a seat next to Sesshoumaru, eyes closed. Sitting so near to the chief, Kagome was instantly struck by how similar they looked. Both owned luxuriously long, snowy white hair, unmatted and well kept, though Sesshoumaru's looked much glossier and pampered. Their faces were both chiseled and defined, and yet the newcomer's wasn't quite as elegant and matured, but a little more round and boyish. And though his eyes were closed, Kagome was willing to bet they would have been a deep golden color like his counterpart's. As her eyes wandered shamelessly over his figure, they were quickly drawn to the twin fuzzy triangles set on top of his head, twitching back and forth in either boredom, irritation, or both. Despite the severity of the atmosphere, Kagome resisted the urge to reach out and stroke them. They looked like little puppy dog-ears, so soft and cute and fuzzy! Mentally, she had to scold herself for thinking such things, and tried to, once again, pay attention to whatever it was that Sesshoumaru was saying.

"Kagome Higurashi, meet my... half-brother..." Kagome noted how he said it rather sourly as if not wanting to admit it, "Inuyasha Taisho. Inuyasha, this is Kagome Higurashi, the girl you'll be attending to for the next-"

"You make it sound as if I'm gonna be her butler or something," Inuyasha put in crossly.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flicked dangerously to Inuyasha who merely yawned, showing off his polished set of fangs to the unimpressed demon and humans in the room. Kagome frowned. This was the guy she was supposed to entrust her life with?

"Inuyasha, will you at least pretend to care about someone other than yourself? For once?" Sesshoumaru hissed under his breath.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Can't. The bible says it's bad to lie."

"It also says not to kill," Sesshoumaru replied hotly. "Glad neither of us goes to church, though."

Inuyasha opened one eye to study his brother. "Are you sure you're allowed to be making threats like that, Chief? Especially since I'm doing you such a big favor?"

Kagome gasped, stunned. "You call protecting my life a _favor_? What kind of person are you?"

Inuyasha sighed, deliberately taking his time in turning his head. "Look, _Miss Higurashi_," he said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue, "don't bother to try and make me feel bad or anything, cause I don't have a conscience, so it won't work. And while I'm at it, why don't you-"

Inuyasha words were forgotten as he finally looked at Kagome for the first time, both eyes open now, taking in her appearance fully. Why had he not noticed her before? _She looks exactly like... but she isn't,_ Inuyasha reminded himself, scolding himself for getting so worked up, yet not quite capable of taking his eyes off her.

Kagome either didn't notice or didn't care, because she was too busy glaring at him to mind. _Who the hell does this guy think he is? Too good to waste his time protecting little, worthless me? How dare he!_

Sango and Miroku exchanged rather confused glances before turning their attention to Sesshoumaru, their eyes pleading for an explanation. Sesshoumaru ignored them both, but watched Inuyasha. He had predicted this reaction from the first time he was shown a picture of the witness he was to be protecting. He narrowed his eyes, thoughts wandering through his mind, before his gaze flicked to his agents. "Sango."

"Got it," she replied though still confused but deciding to leave the questions for later, quietly revealing two manila folders she had kept hidden from view and slid them across the table in front of Inuyasha and Kagome. "Alright, these are going to be your new identities. You get to take a look at them, study as much as you can, then return them to me. We'll be giving you all your identification documents later, but for now, just review over it all."

Inuyasha blinked, suddenly aware of the fact that he had been staring, and quickly tore himself away from the girl, not forgetting to throw a meaningful glare at his brother. Sesshoumaru merely looked back at him, expressionless. Inuyasha sneered and looked down at his file, all the while thinking to himself, _I'm gonna kill him._ These thoughts, however, briefly escaped him as he began to scan through his information.

"Charles Lupine? My name is Charles Lupine! What the hell is up with that?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged, not bothering to conceal his smirk of amusement. "Hey, I didn't come up with it."

Inuyasha snorted. "There's a surprise," he growled.

"Personally, I suggested Yasha, the circus performing whining lapdog," Sesshoumaru said honestly. "It'd be a rather fitting title, don't you think?"

Inuyasha was out of his seat, ready to rip his brother's eyes out when, out of nowhere, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder jerking him back to his seat. The hanyou's weren't the only pair of eyes that suddenly stared at Kagome incredulously. Sango and Miroku's jaws were dropped while Sesshoumaru studied the girl curiously, silently reevaluating his previous judgment of her.

Inuyasha whipped her hand off, glaring venomously. "What the hell do you think you are-"

"Why don't you just shut up?" Kagome snapped, surprising not only everyone in the room but herself as well. But she had been through way too much in the last twenty-four hours. Within one day, she felt she experienced more than a whole season of soap operas could offer- her boyfriend dying before her eyes, almost dying herself, finding out someone was still after her life, being forced to leave her family for who knows how long, and to top it off, she was starving, needed a shower, and hardly slept a minute all night. Kagome was seriously not in the mood to deal with this self-centered little punk now.

Inuyasha, fuming now, narrowed his eyes, exposing one claw as he leaned forward toward the insolent girl. "Look, girl, I'd watch what you say, otherwise you might find yourself with more enemies than Naraku to deal with."

Kagome, her rage lending her more courage than she would have thought, leaned right back in his face, bolding pushing his clawed hand out of the way. "Do I look like I care? Don't even bother trying to bully me with you're whole demon-strength thing, cause it's obvious you think I, being the defenseless little human weakling, will fall for it, but I won't! You're nothing but an arrogant, stuck-up, self-centered, full of yourself little _puppy_, so just shut up and sit, boy!"

All of this she said in one breath, so when she was finished, she sat back, face flushed, gasping for air, yet still looking impressive despite herself. All eyes fell on Inuyasha, now, as they waited for his reaction.

The hanyou in question merely stared at her, mouth wide open, in shock. Who the hell was this little human girl that had the audacity to talk to him like that? Was she really that stupid to not understand that with minimal effort, he could rip her body to shreds a hell of a lot easier than Naraku? What, did she think that because he was supposed to be protecting her that he would bend over backwards for her?

Not waiting for his response, Sango promptly leaned over and clapped Kagome on the back, smiling broadly. "Wow, Kagome, I didn't know you had it in ya! I'm afraid to say you're a lot stronger than I gave you credit for!"

"He had it coming," Kagome muttered scornfully, brushing her hair out of her face indifferently.

Sango chuckled. "Guess you won't need me to protect you from Miroku, anymore."

"Hey," Miroku spoke up defensively, "I find that statement rather offending, thank you."

"You're welcome," Sango said firmly. "Anytime."

Miroku opened his mouth to speak, but Sesshoumaru spoke first, silencing everyone else. "I have to admit, Miss Higurashi, I underestimated you, myself," he said calmly, his eyes still sparkling with amusement over his brother's crushing defeat by a mere human girl. _'A little puppy,' huh? I like it. _"However, now that I'm sure you can handle yourself against my brother, I guess I'll go ahead and say my goodbyes."

"Wait a minute!" Kagome exclaimed. "I thought you said this was just a proposal! I don't want _him _to protect me! Don't I get a say in the matter?"

"Frankly, no," Sesshoumaru replied bluntly. "And about the whole proposal thing, I lied. This meeting was purely to evaluate how well you and Inuyasha would get along. You never had much of a choice. Personally, I think it all went remarkably well, so there's no further need for me to stay. Good luck, Miss Higurashi." With no further words, Sesshoumaru promptly got to his feet and made his way to the door.

"Sesshoumaru, wait one fucking minute!" Inuyasha roared, finally snapping out of his daze, racing after him. Sesshoumaru was already outside, and waited patiently for him, holding the door open. Inuyasha ignored this and stormed out, allowing Sesshoumaru to close the door before beginning his rant. "What the hell do you think you're doing, pairing me up with a power-trip maniac like that?"

Sesshoumaru smirked devilishly. "What, don't you like her? I really think she's rather charming, quite a spunky little character if nothing else. And don't tell me you don't think she isn't the slightest bit attractive."

Inuyasha clenched his fists at his sides, his body trembling with his suppressed rage. "Don't think I hadn't noticed that little tidbit, either," he hissed through clenched teeth. "But I'm letting you know right now that you can go ahead and find yourself another babysitter, because I refuse to spend one minute, let alone a few months, with that little... wench!"

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. "Not only that, but she has a much more sophisticated vocabulary than you do," he pointed out, turning and walking back to his office. "And by the way, as far as protecting Kagome Higurashi goes, you don't have a choice in the matter."

Inuyasha snorted. "What makes you think I give a damn whether or not you give me a choice?"

"This," Sesshoumaru replied nonchalantly, waving a piece of paper in the air above his head as he continued walking. "It's a warrant from the head of security himself giving me permission to pull you out of jail eight years early in order to protect Kagome Higurashi. Should you fail to comply, however, you can either be penalized with a lifetime sentence here or be shipped to a behavior correctional facility in Mongolia. I thought you might like that since you seemed so eager to visit the last time we spoke."

"Sesshoumaru, you're a bastard," Inuyasha yelled after him.

"I love you, too, little brother," he called back unsympathetically, disappearing around the corner.

Inuyasha screamed a rather colorful selection of words out at the empty hallway before finally slamming his fists against the door, growling viciously. His ears twitched when he heard voices, and he looked up and through the window at the three humans inside. Sango and Miroku were flipping through the files, explaining everything in great detail while Kagome nodded attentively.

"Kagome," Inuyasha muttered, turning his nose up in distaste, eyes narrowing. "It's gonna be a long few months- for the both of us."

* * *

AN: Yeah, well, about the Charles Lupine thing... don't pay it any mind, really. It's not like Kagome's ever really gonna use it... and trust me, Inuyasha won't be up to using Kagome's security name, either!

Review Response:

_kyoko-the-lonely-demon626_: I'm glad you like it! Let me know if there's anything I can fix to make it better, kay?

_purityxstarz_: Well, while I agree with you on the review thing (not that I think I should get fifty, but I wish I could get fifty...), yes, eventually you will find out why Inuyasha was in jail... in fact, that's the chapter I'm writing right now, so it shouldn't be too far away...

_Keyo-Red Angel of Hope_: Of course, what Inuyasha fic is complete without the hanyou himself falling off of his ego tower every once in a while. And I'm curious to know what you think about Inuyasha in prison. Please email me or something, cuz I always like to see if the way I write is too predictable or not.... and I've never seen "The Defender"... maybe I should go rent it and see if I accidentally copied them or something...

_spice of Inu-Yasha_: Trust me, I wish I could get more reviews. But I hope to catch them all in time. As they say, flattery will get you everywhere... otherwise, I'm happy you find this enjoyable!

_Larnom_: Of course, Bonnie-san. All your questions were answered, and yes, Inuyasha is internally ticked about his brother controlling the knobs, so to speak, but, as usual, he'd bark like a puppy before he'd ever admit it!

Next chapter: Kagome thinks about her family, Inuyasha gives her a hankie, they see their new living quarters, Inuyasha learns Kagome's new name and Sango takes her fury out on the males


	5. A Brand New Life

**AN: Okay, so, good news! Chapter 7 has finally been completely, with an added bonus- a twelve page chapter 8 as well! Chapter 9 has been started, and as long as I have time to write, should be competed not too long from now. As from here, the plot will be developing and more characters will be added to the line up- including the elder human, the little demon, and Inuyasha's worst enemy (beside Naraku). No real mushi will be disclosed just yet, but Kagome will begin to soften, I promise.**

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 5**

**A Brand New Life**

"Would you stop glaring at me?"

Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms over his chest. "Sorry, for some reason, I can't seem to help it. There must be something wrong with me."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "That's obvious."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Inuyasha, Kagome," Miroku confessed, smiling teasingly. "For some reason, I can't seem to take my eyes off of you."

As quick as lightening, Sango's hand darted out to smack him in the back of the head, ignoring his soft whimpering. "Well, we already know what's wrong with you, pervert," she hissed.

Miroku instantly found something fascinating outside the window, diverting all of his attention to it. Sango sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle. _Wouldn't they make the funniest couple?_ she thought, watching Sango get so agitated over another one of Miroku's failed flirting attempts. Catching the woman's eye, she gave her a sympathetic look which Sango received with an appreciative smile before resigning herself to look out of her own window.

Which meant, of course, that left Kagome with nothing but herself for entertainment. For a brief moment, she thought of turning to the hanyou next to her to try and start a conversation, but quickly dropped the idea. Not only could she tell he was still sore from their confrontation the day before, Kagome couldn't find it in herself to forgive and forget that easily, either. With a quiet hmph, Kagome glanced outside in hopes of finding something more interesting than her less than inviting company.

It had only been an hour since they landed at Newark Airport in Northern New Jersey, yet Kagome and Inuyasha had already managed to squabble over their luggage, where they were going to eat, who was going to summon the taxi, and the choice of music on the radio. Thoroughly exhausted from her arguing, Kagome settled in her seat and waited patiently until they arrived at the town in which she and Inuyasha would be staying for the next few months.

_Geez_, she thought wearily, glancing at the half-demon from the corner of her eye, _I don't even fight with my brother as much as I do with him! It's rather sad to say that Souta's much more mature._

Thinking this, however, Kagome was suddenly overwhelmed with grief. _Souta, I wonder how you're doing. I almost forgot that you'd be starting the eighth grade this year. Only a few weeks left, huh? I really wish I could be there to see you off to your first day of school._

_Grandpa? How about you? Are you doing well? Summer's over, now, and autumn's already beginning. The trees here are already loosing their leaves, and it's a lot colder than where you are right now. I just hope you take care of yourself, okay? I know how your arthritis always acts up around this time of year, especially with it being so cold out. Just be careful, okay?_

_Mom... Mom, I miss you so much. All this that's happening... it's kind of overwhelming, you know? Everything's happening so fast... I never imagined when I woke up that morning that in two days, I'd be on the other side of the country leading a completely different life... then again, I never imagined a lot of things happening... like Hojo, for example. God, I miss him. It hurts so much to think of him, knowing that I won't ever see him again. I wish I could at least go to his funeral. I can't imagine what it's like for you, right now, going to _my_ funeral, but I really am sorry. Sorry for all that you're going through, right now. I wish you were here, more than anything else. You always knew the right things to say when I was unsure of what to do. Now, more than ever, I really need you. What do I do, Mom? What can I do?_

Kagome blinked, somewhat surprised when she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She glanced quickly at Sango and Miroku, relieved when she was sure they didn't noticed, before she stubbornly wiped it away with her sleeve. Of course, another only replaced it, and soon, an army of salty droplets was cascading down her face. She couldn't control it anymore. Though she refused to make a sound, she merely leaned her forehead against the glass, allowing the tears to slide silently down her face.

"Cut it out."

Frowning, she turned to Inuyasha, prepared to throw another string of insults at him, when her face was suddenly covered with a white cloth. Tearing it away, she glanced at it, then up at Inuyasha suspiciously.

The said hanyou was leaning his chin against his palm, gazing outside at the overcast sky. His amber orbs flicked to her in irritation. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he growled under his breath. "If you think that pathetic attempt is gonna get me to feel sorry for you, you might as well save 'em for someone who cares."

Kagome's brows furrowed, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she took the token and quickly wiped her eyes clean, no longer feeling the desire to cry. When she was finished, silently held out the handkerchief to him.

Inuyasha turned away. "What makes you think I want that, now? Especially when it reeks of your scent. I'm noxious enough just being this close to you without having to carry that thing around, thank you."

If looks could kill, Inuyasha would be tuning his harp strings by now with the ferocity of Kagome's glare. However, instead of attacking him with a barrage of verbal abuse like he had expected, she merely tucked the handkerchief into the breast pocket on her jacket and returned to staring out the window, her head leaned against the pane.

Despite his surprise at what he assumed was a victory, Inuyasha snorted and proceeded with ignoring her.

"Thank you."

His eyes flicked back to her, ears perked, as he studied her. She didn't look like she had moved, but he was positive he hadn't imagined it. Pretending not to care, he acted as if he had heard nothing and continued to wait until they had arrived at their final destination.

* * *

"I have to live in here... with _him_!?" 

Miroku grinned. "You could always live with me, Ka-"

Sango didn't even give him time to finish his sentence before smacking the back of his head none too lightly. She turned to the girl, smiling sympathetically. "Come on, Kagome. It's not that bad, is it?"

Kagome frowned and looked at Sango, shaking her head quickly. "No, no, this is fine!" she replied, waving her hand across the room they had ended the apartment tour in. Kagome had slightly exaggerated- the entire apartment itself was more than fine, it was exquisite. It had two spacious bedrooms, each with their own set of hand crafted custom oak furniture, a queen sized bed and private bathrooms. The living room they were currently standing in was warm and inviting, equipped with a rather impressive entertainment center complete with a wall of DVDs and CDs, a massive TV screen, a surround sound stereo system and a desk with a sleek-looking computer already set up. The kitchen was past the living room, next to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Smooth, marble counters accented the bright white cabinets and machinery, lending to its overall clean and modern atmosphere. Kagome made a mental note to investigate the refrigerator, later. Past that, she noticed a white door that led to a small laundry room.

Kagome sighed as her gaze finally fell on the one downside of the apartment- her roommate. Upon entering, the hanyou favored collapsing on the couch and catching up on the sleep he failed to get on the plane- thanks to Kagome- instead of taking a tour of his new "home".

Sango's eyes followed Kagome's and, spotting Inuyasha on the couch, the woman nodded understandingly. "I see," was all she could think of to say.

Kagome nodded sadly, turning back to Sango. "Not to mention you and Miroku," Miroku perked up when he heard his name, but spun back around quickly enough when Sango glared at him, "or rather, you, Sango, won't even be around to help. I have to deal with _him_ all by myself!"

Sango smiled cheerfully. "And that, my friend, is where you are wrong!" she exclaimed.

Kagome stared at her like she was some sort of alien, her head involuntarily tilting to one side. "What do you mean? Didn't you say Mr. Sesshoumaru said you couldn't stick around cause Naraku would notice?"

"He wouldn't notice if we stuck around here," Sango corrected, throwing an arm around her shoulders amiably. "While Inuyasha's job is to keep you safe from Naraku, my job is to keep you safe from Inuyasha and to give you a girlfriend to talk to! I already have my own place just a few streets away, so it's not like it'd be suspicious if I'm seen around the area. I mentioned the idea myself to Sesshoumaru, and he thought it'd be a good idea."

"Really?" Kagome exclaimed, her spirits instantly lifted. "So I'm not stuck here all by myself?"

"Nope," Sango replied, just as happy as Kagome. "You'll have me."

"And me!" Miroku chipped in.

"You?" Kagome shrieked.

Miroku looked hurt. "Why not me?"

"Be-because!" Kagome sputtered nervously.

"Am I really that bad?" Miroku asked sadly.

Now the soft side of Kagome's heart was reacting to Miroku's helplessness, and she began to feel sorry for him. "Well... no, I didn't exactly mean that..."

"Save your pity," Sango muttered, throwing a firm glare at her partner. "He'll make you do things you really don't want to do if he somehow can gain your sympathy. That's how he got Sesshoumaru to let him stick around, too."

"Miroku got _Sesshoumaru_ to feel sorry for him?" Kagome repeated incredulously, turning wide-eyed toward him.

Miroku's previous puppy dog face was apparently abandoned and he shrugged, giving Sango a lopsided grin. "He's a good hearted guy, underneath it all. I told him I couldn't bare to be away from my dearest partner, so, out of the goodness of his heart, he gave me permission to accompany her."

Sango snorted. "Yeah, right, more like Sesshoumaru got so sick of Miroku's pleading that he finally gave him a vacation, practically shoving him out the door."

Miroku smiled unabashedly, looping his arm around her shoulders. "And, naturally, where on Earth would I want to spend my time other than with you lovely ladies?"

Sango's eyebrow twitched as she quietly peeled Miroku's fingers away from her, trying desperately to restrain herself but giving in to the pleasure of digging her fingernails into the man's skin. His yelp made her smile return. Kagome held back a giggle.

"_Anyway_," Sango cleared her throat, still not releasing Miroku's hand despite his childish squirming and whining, "now that you guys have your new home, I guess we'll leave you. Kagome, I'll be back in the morning to go over some more stuff, but for now, get some rest. You've had a very long day."

Kagome nodded, but couldn't help but grin when she noticed Sango's lack of attention to Miroku's other hand. "Looks like your day isn't over, Sango."

Sango sported a questioning look. "What do you- AHHH! PERVERT!!!!" she screeched, spinning around to practically pounce on Miroku. Said young man hadn't expected such a violent reaction to such a simply action as rubbing her behind, however, and abruptly went flying into the wall, shaking the few wall hangings in their places. Both agents' faces were red- one from fury and the other from sporting a rather bright handprint on his face. The latter cowered before the woman's wrath, hastily scrambling to his feet and scurrying out of the apartment like a frightened squirrel.

Sango, on the other hand, took his fleeing as a sign of victory and dusted her hands triumphantly, winking knowingly at Kagome. "It's over, now."

Kagome shook her head, laughing. "I don't know. Miroku's pretty stubborn."

Sango smirked. "And so will his pain once I'm through with him!" she replied, stomping through the doorway.

"Bye, Sango!" Kagome called out as she disappeared.

As if remembering, Sango leaning back in the doorway. "Oh yeah, good luck to you." After a second thought, she grinned and called, "Have fun, _Charles!_"

From his position on the couch, Inuyasha grumbled something incoherent and most likely unpleasant, to which Sango just exchanged exasperated looks with Kagome. To the girl, she waved cheerfully and said, "Good luck dealing with him, _Kikyo_."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

At this, both Kagome and Sango jumped a good two feet in the air and whirled around to face a suddenly vertical and very pissed hanyou, glaring down at the two of them like ants.

If Kagome had thought Sango looked mad then Inuyasha must have been a few steps above _absolutely livid_! His eyes were flashing furiously, and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Sharp, white canines glistened threateningly as a low growl emitted from his throat.

A long, tense silence followed that neither girl were willing to break as Inuyasha waited none too patiently, his low growl crescendoeing into a full on snarl as time passed and his questioned went unanswered.

"_Well_!?" he demanded.

"W-well, w-what?" Kagome squeaked, her former confidence long drained away.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and spoke slowly, grating each word carefully through clenched teeth. "What-did-you-say!?"

Sango frowned. "I said 'Good luck dealing with him, Kikyo.'" Sango didn't notice Inuyasha wince, but Kagome did. "I didn't think it would offend you _that_ much!"

"Why in the bloody hell did you call her that!?" he spat, thrusting a finger at Kagome who involuntarily jumped.

Sango looked from Inuyasha to Kagome, then back to Inuyasha, confused. "Didn't you read her information in your file? That's her new identity. Kikyo Itsumi."

"SHUT UP!!!!" he roared, grabbing the first thing that his hand came into contact with and hurling it at the blank wall above their heads. Both girls were glad it was just a pillow, but Kagome's eyes went wide nonetheless. She had to share an apartment with _him_?

"What?" Sango exclaimed indignantly. "It's just her name. You might as well get used to it because you're going to have to-"

Inuyasha cut her off with another flying object, this time a cushion from the couch. "There is NO WAY I am using _that_ name for that... _WENCH_!"

"Why not?" Sango wanted to know, ignoring Kagome's fervent tugging on her shirt and hand gestures to try and get her to stop. She didn't want to know what was bugging him if it was bugging him this much.

"Because!" Inuyasha said a little quieter, losing a little of his momentum but still appearing menacing. As if ending the conversation, the hanyou stormed to the kitchen and grabbed his bag, rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. "Hey, you, does this patch into the bastard?" he demanded, pointing at his red-covered cell phone, courtesy of said bastard.

Sango frowned, folding her arms over her chest defiantly. She had had enough with just one jerk. She didn't need another to further ruin her day. "'You' has a name, you know. It's _Sango_!"

"Does it, or not?" Inuyasha asked again impatiently.

"What's the magic word?" Sango cooed.

"Fuck you?" Inuyasha guessed.

"Not quite," she replied dryly.

The young man rolled his eyes, probably thinking up a hundred colorful ways to describe the woman who was currently bugging the hell out of him, but bit them down nonetheless. "Fine, then, _Sango,_" he added a few more words under his breath, but Sango ignored them. "Does this connect to my bastard of a brother or not?"

Sango snorted. "If you're talking about Sesshoumaru, then yes, both yours and _Kikyo's_ do," she replied haughtily, ignoring Inuyasha's ears pressing against his head as the name was spoken. With fire in his eyes, he promptly clenched the phone in his hand and stomped into the bedroom he had apparently claimed as his, slamming the door shut behind him.

Sango shook her head, muttering incomprehensively under her breath. "Sesshoumaru, you have some explaining to do," were among some of them as she quietly made her way to the door, slamming it just as hard as Inuyasha did.

Kagome looked back and forth between the closed doors, completely lost. _Okay... what just happened?_ she wondered as she slowly got to her feet, not even realizing she wasn't on them in the first place. Dusting her skirt off, she looked around at the already disheveled room- a few pillows and cushions lay scattered across the floor from Inuyasha's sudden leap to his feet, not to mention the two at Kagome's feet.

Shaking her head, she picked these up and set them back on the couch, arranging them neatly. Once done, she paused to look around the now empty living room, sighing wistfully.

"Welcome home, Kagome."

* * *

AN: So, they're finally home, huh? And you all finally get to find out what Kagome's secret identity name is... and if there are any of you who don't get why Inuyasha is so pissed off at Kagome's new name, why the heck are you reading an Inuyasha fic?

Review Responses:

shadowcat15: Is this soon enough for you?

Berouge: It's not really that I don't like Arnold. On the contrary, I think he's cool... it's just too easy to make fun of him every once in a while... I mean, what other place in the world has a famous action movie star as their leader? Anyway, glad you're enjoying it. And I do agree- Inuyasha as a convict... didn't see that coming, huh?

kyoko-the-lonely-demon626: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, but nonetheless, if you notice anything doesn't match up or anything doesn't make sense, please tell me, okay?

Next chapter: Kagome gets a job, Inuyasha gets in a fight, a new comer gets inside the team and Sango gets a headache.


	6. Cappuccinos and Police dogs

AN: Okay, so for some bizarre reason, after did its whole reconstruction thing, all the chapters I had on reserve in my document manager were deleted..... no idea why, but it was certainly a pain in the butt reuploading the four chapters.... not to mention for over a week, they had all those bugs and glitches that wouldn't allow me to even look at the newly uploaded chapters, much less update the fic.... bummer....

oh, and yes, that's right, four. Chapter 9 is officially done, and I'm beginning chapter 10... can't tell when that'll be done, though.... but, still, over a ONE-HUNDRED PAGE WRITING STREAK AND STILL GOING! smile that's reason enough to celebrate, right?

Anyway, here's the long awaited chapter 6... and, as I promised, more characters introduced to the plot...

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 6**

**Cappuccinos and Police Dogs**

"_Mom?"_

_Mrs. Higurashi turned, her dishcloth and soapy bowl still in hand. Upon spotting Kagome, she smiled warmly. "Well, hello, dear. What are you doing here?"_

_Kagome smiled and opened her mouth to speak when she hesitated, looking at her mother thoughtfully. "Huh?"_

_Mrs. Higurashi simply continued smiling. "I said, 'what are you doing here'. Don't your ears work anymore?"_

_Kagome's brows furrowed. "Why wouldn't I be here, Mom? This is my home."_

_Still smiling, her mother shook her head slowly. "Silly girl. This isn't your home."_

_Now Kagome was really confused. Was this really her mother? "Mom?"_

_The woman laughed softly, slowly dipping the bowl back into the water. "You really are a silly girl, you know that?" she said, amused._

_The girl took a step forward toward her mother. "Mom, what's the-"_

"_Kagome, Kagome, Kagome," she tutted, removing her hands from the water and slowly turning around. Kagome froze, eyes widening. A rather familiar shiny black object was calmly held in her finger-pruned hands. "Such a silly child. What makes you think I'm your mother?"_

_Kagome's blood curled inside her. Her mother's voice had changed, suddenly adopting a dark, silky smooth tone, certainly not her mother's, yet all too familiar._

"_M-mom?"_ she whispered hoarsely.

"_Silly, stupid girl," the voice inside her mother cackled. "Your home is not here… but in _HELL!!!"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she immediately shot up, gasping for air. She found herself reaching around her bed, searching for something. When she couldn't find it, she looked around wildly, confused.

Eventually, fragments of memories of the last several days came rushing back and she began to calm down. When her breathing slowed to normal, Kagome sighed and swung her legs around the side of the bed, pausing before getting to her feet to look around.

While Inuyasha had firmly declared the larger room to be his, Kagome was satisfied with the slightly smaller, cozier room. In the few hours she spent before finally succumbing to her exhaustion, she had successfully arranged the accessories in the room to her liking, appreciating Sango so much more for fulfilling the requests she had made for her living quarters. The bed was a simple but elegant queen with a blue and white-checkered quilt and goose-feathered pillows. Assorted stuffed animals lay scattered around the floor, but later, when she made the bed, they would be sat up against the pillows. Twin side tables sat on each end of the bed with drawers filled with odds and ends and a white lamp on both.

From a position on the bed, Kagome could look to her right out into the small, quaint town of Somerset, New Jersey. The view limited itself to a public library, a town coffee shop and a gas station. Below the window was a beautiful pinewood desk, complete with a small, dark green journal that had been left out from its use the night before. A ceiling high matching bookcase was filled to the rim with volumes per Kagome's request. Though it was Sesshoumaru who supervised the financing of her relocation, it was Sango and Miroku who went through the extra effort of seeing that money went to good use to make Kagome as comfortable as possible.

Kagome smiled, thinking of this, and finally pushed herself out of bed, sluggishly making her way to her bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, Kagome emerged from her bathroom and out into the hallway, still towel drying her hair. Ignoring Inuyasha's still closed door, she waltzed into the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door and removing several of its contents. Within minutes, she had breakfast well underway when she finally heard a door squeak open and its occupant drag himself into view.

Kagome didn't even bother looking up. "Good morning, Charles," she said calmly.

Inuyasha barely lifted his eyes up to glance at her before yawning his reply, stretching his tongue out lazily. From out of the corner of her eye, Kagome watched him appear to slowly make his way around her while, at the same time, his hand tried to sneak toward the bacon.

Like a flash, Kagome's hand whipped out to smack Inuyasha's with the spatula. The hanyou jerked his injured hand back with a snarl, ears flat against his skull, fangs bared.

"Hey, bitch! What the hell was that for?"

"For trying to steal my food," she replied evenly, unfazed.

"Don't forget who's protecting your sorry ass, wench!" Inuyasha spat.

Kagome nodded. "Yes, and I am grateful, but at the rate you're going, you're certainly not going to see any gratitude through anything other than me _not_ putting poison in your food, much less making anything for you voluntarily."

Inuyasha sneered. "If I were you, wench, I wouldn't-'

"-Smell, do drugs or require mental help. Yes, I know. Don't you just envy me?"

A laugh alerted both roommates' attention to the front door. Miroku clapped. "Touché, Kagome. Very charming."

"Charming!?" Inuyasha spat, looking at the man as if he were an alien. "_Charming_!? I wish someone would just drop her in a jungle and watch her charm a lion or something."

"Lions don't live in jungles, smart one," Kagome corrected, removing her eggs from its skillet onto a plate. Looking up at the agents, she smiled. "Come on in. I've got breakfast ready!"

"Smells wonderful, Kagome," Sango said, taking her offer by walking inside and placing her jacket on the back of the couch.

Miroku followed behind her, sniffing the air with a smile. "I second that," he added, grinning. "Certainly looks as if you're adjusting well, might I add."

Kagome smiled, moving around the sulking hanyou to take out three plates. "Well, there's no use sulking about it, right? Might as well make the best of it."

"That's the kind of attitude I like to hear," Sango quipped happily, taking a plate.

Inuyasha watched them all chattering over the food, glaring at them resentfully. "So these two just show up, and all of a sudden they get food?" he hissed.

Kagome quirked an eyebrow, pointing her fork at him. "You would have, too, if you weren't such a grump," she pointed out.

"Hmph, whatever," he muttered, snatching a slice of bacon before Kagome could smack his hand and storming out of the kitchen and back into his room, slamming the door shut.

Kagome sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose I might as well get used to that, huh?"

Sango nodded. "Unfortunately. You have my sympathy, Kagome."

Miroku looked up from watching Inuyasha storm away. "Give it some time. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

"Not if he's Sesshoumaru's brother, he won't," Sango put in.

"True."

All three sat brooding over this before they sighed and continued eating. It was not a promising thought.

Later that day, the four of them walked into coffee shop across the street, affectionately known as "The Bean", instantly overcome by the wave of delicious odors drifting around the room.

Kagome grinned delightedly. The place was absolutely delightful! Alongside the wall ran a three-level display case flaunting enticing doughnuts and morning pastries. The back of the room was where the register was with a bar and a few stools for customers. Behind the bar, the wall sported a ginger colored sign showing the varieties of coffee offered. An elderly woman bustled around here, filling cups here and adding a pinch of flavoring there. Kagome's mouth watered just a little at the chocolate something-or-other she was preparing for a customer… she wouldn't deny she had a bit of a sweet tooth.

Clustered around the center of the shop were several small tables, a couch and two love seats, the same ginger color as the sign and the walls. A handful of people sat around here, sipping their beverages and nibbling their treats, either talking, reading, or watching the television set hanging from the ceiling above and behind the register. Right now, soft grumbles and excited shouts were the predominant sound in the place from the football game being aired.

"Well?" Miroku asked. "What do you think?"

"I love it!" Kagome assured him, grinning. "It's so… inviting! Really warm and homey, you know?"

A snort behind them was Inuyasha's reply.

Rolling her eyes, Sango held up a hand to her mouth and called out, "Hey, Old Lady!"

The woman from behind the register looked up and scowled. "Sango, you little scamp. How dare you walk into my place, calling me such names. Didn't I teach you better than that?"

Sango laughed and walked forward. Despite her scowl, the woman didn't refrain from leaning over the counter to briefly embrace the girl.

"Of course you did, Gram," Sango replied when they released each other, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Hmph, I should think so," was the woman's response before turning to the other three. "And don't be so rude as to not introduce me to your company… _not_ you, Miroku," she added, earning a pout from the young man. The woman's smile spread like the Cheshire cat. "I'm not so old or simple minded as to believe Sango would finally _allow_ you in her company."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Miroku said defensively, glancing at Sango hopefully.

Sango snorted. "Only because you followed me."

"Come on, Sango!"

The old woman chuckled. "As I had assumed," she said, turning her focus onto Kagome and Inuyasha. "But what about you two? I assume you," she looked at Kagome with a gentle smile, "will be my new employee, correct?"

Kagome nodded, smiling. "Yes, my name is… Kikyo Itsumi." Inuyasha turned away, suddenly very interested in something on the ground. "Thank you so much, Ma'am, for giving me this opportunity."

"Now, see here," the woman said authoritatively, waggling a finger at the girl like she would a child, "don't you go and try to butter me up by all this 'Ma'am' stuff. It'll do nothing but swell my ego, making me an even worse boss to work for. To everyone around here, I'm either 'Grandma Kaede' or 'Gram', got it?"

Kagome giggled, nodding obediently. "Yes, Grandma Kaede."

Kaede grinned. "Glad to see you catch on quick. Sango's reports on you weren't too far from the truth, I see."

"Don't worry, Gram," Sango quipped, throwing an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "Kikyo's a good girl. She won't let you down."

Kaede nodded approvingly. "Well, coming from you, Sango, I guess I can't say no. But this does raise a question for you, Kikyo," she added seriously.

"What is it?" Kagome wanted to know.

"You wouldn't happen to be that girl who moved into that large apartment across the street, would you?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Kaede smiled. "I thought so. I live two floors above you and saw all those moving vans along the street. I had hoped a young girl like you would be among my new neighbors."

"Why?" Miroku asked.

"I've been looking for a babysitter for my little grandson for months, now, but no one around here has been interested. He's really a sweet boy, but nobody's got the time to spare. Twice a week, I attend a town council meeting, and I hate to leave the poor thing by himself."

"Say no more, Grandma Kaede," Kagome assured her. "I love kids. I'd be happy to baby-sit him!"

Kaede breathed out a sigh of relief before gently clasping Kagome's hand between her two, withered ones. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Kikyo, dear. And I'll pay you whatever wages you want."

Kagome shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Consider it my thanks for giving me the job!"

"Nonsense, child," Kaede scolded, lightly slapping the back of her hand. "I'll hear none of it."

"But, really, money isn't really a prob-"

"I said I'll hear none of it," Kaede repeated sternly. "If you won't take money, than at the very least, you can eat here whenever you like, free of charge. Normally, I'd only give a discount, but for you, consider it yours."

Kagome sighed, giving in to the stubborn woman's unwavering resolution. "If you say so. I'd actually appreciate that."

"Great! Now that we've got that settled, the next order of business will be to determine when you'll start working."

"Would right now be too soon for you?" Kagome asked timidly. "I'm a pretty fast learner, and I'd like to get started as soon as possible."

Kaede took a long look at the girl before she threw her head back, laughing. "Child, I knew when Sango told me about you that I would really like you. Come on in, then, and let's get started!"

Kaede took Kagome by the shoulders and led her to the back room. Twisting around, Kagome waved at Sango and Miroku who waved back, shouting back their encouragements. Inuyasha still stood in the same spot, staring at the ground, frowning.

Sango watched him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's your problem, now?"

"Nothing," Inuyasha said indignantly.

Miroku and Sango exchanged disbelieving glances before shrugging and turning toward the door. Kicking his foot over the tiled floor, Inuyasha followed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sango demanded, stopping him. "You're supposed to stay here and watch over Kagome."

Inuyasha didn't appear to hear or care, but simply walked on.

Sango frowned. "Fine then. I'll have Sesshoumaru make arrangements for your flight to Mongolia," she called sweetly.

Inuyasha stopped, ears twitching in irritation. He refused to look around to face her, but Sango didn't need to see him in order to tell he was furious, hands clenched at his sides. Looking around, he spotted the bathroom and purposefully strode toward it, as if he were heading in that direction the entire time.

Miroku sighed and grinned. "Quite the character, huh?"

Sango nodded, echoing his sigh. "Yes, and Sesshoumaru still refuses to give me the scoop on him. Not that I'd ever admit it to him, but Inuyasha's right- Sesshoumaru is a bastard."

The bell that hung above the front door rang, and a customer walked in. Sango and Miroku noticed his blue uniform and glittering gold badge and stepped aside to let him through. They paused before walking out, however, when they spotted Kagome stepping up to the register, Kaede supervising from behind. The dark haired officer was to be Kagome's first customer, and they wanted to watch how it went.

Kagome smiled. "Hi there. How are you, today?"

The young man looked down at her and returned the smile. "Not too bad, thanks. Not anymore, anyways."

The girl looked baffled, but smiled, thinking it was some sort of joke. "And why is that, sir?"

He grinned, his teeth a dazzling white. "I've just discovered myself in the very fine company of Kaede's new helper."

Kagome blinked, at first confused, then, once his words processed through her mind, blushed heavily. Behind her, Kaede snorted, but was unable to hide the amused glint in her eyes.

"Oh, don't mind him," Kaede advised. "Kouga thinks he's the greatest thing in the world since the coffee bean."

"What do you mean by 'think'?" Kouga asked, grinning playfully. "I am, and I smell just as good, too."

"I hate to break it to you, Kouga, but whoever tells you that lies."

"Kaede, you're always so mean to me."

"That's because you always scare my customers _and_ employees away with all of your flirting," Kaede scolded.

Kouga laughed, turning to Kagome with another dazzling smile. "You don't think I'm scary, do you?"

Kagome blinked, unsure of how to answer. "Well, no, not really…" she admitted.

Obviously pleased with her answer, Kouga opened his mouth to argue with Kaede more, but the old woman beat him to it. "Kouga, would you just stop flirting and hurry up, already?" the woman exclaimed. "Other customers do want coffee, you know."

"Alright, alright," Kouga conceded, eyes scanning over the menu.

Kaede rolled her eyes and leaned closer to Kagome's ear. "He's just doing that to annoy me. He gets the exact same thing every single day, but he has to make a show of trying to decide."

"I heard that," he informed them, grinning smugly, pointing a finger to his sharp, distinctively wolf demon ears.

"Well, it's true," Kaede grumbled.

"So then," Kagome cleared her throat, "what'll you have, then?"

"Your name."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'd like your name, please," Kouga replied, amused at her bashfulness. "If it doesn't come at too much of a cost, that is."

"M-my name?" Kagome stammered, her cheeks burning again. "I-it's Ka… Kikyo. M-my name is Kikyo."

Kouga quirked his head thoughtfully. "Kikyo, huh? Well, nice to meet you. I'm Kouga Ookami," he said, holding out his hand. Kagome took it a little nervously, shaking it politely. "Is this your first day?"

Kagome nodded. "Yup. Grandma Kaede's teaching me how to use the register."

"Although I can't teach much if a certain customer decides to sit there and chat all day instead of buying anything," Kaede put in grumpily.

Kouga glanced at her and grinned, eyes returning back to Kagome. "She's right. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," he apologized sheepishly.

"Oh, it's no problem, really," Kagome tried to say, but Kouga held up a hand, shaking his head.

"No, it's okay. It's my fault," he insisted. "Go ahead and ask what you need to ask, and I promise I won't stall any longer."

Kagome nodded and straightened herself, fixing her smile. "Good afternoon, sir. How are you today?"

"Very well, Miss. Thank you."

Kagome giggled a little before continued. "That's good to hear. And how may I help you?"

Though Kagome kept giggling, Kouga played his part perfectly, speaking clearly and calmly. "I'd like a tall mocha cappuccino with extra foam and a cinnamon scone, please."

While Kaede proceeded to show Kagome how to enter this into the register, Sango nudged Miroku in the side. "I think he likes her," she told him.

"But he hardly even met her," Miroku protested a little defensively.

Sango eyed him warily. "You're one to talk, pervert."

Miroku wanted to argue about that, but decided against it. "Well, we're supposed to be protecting her, aren't we?"

"Actually, that's more of Inuyasha's job," Sango replied, looking toward the bathroom where the hanyou just emerged, shaking his hands free of any excess water. "Speaking of which, look who finally decided to join us."

Inuyasha glanced at her, scowling. "Aren't you two supposed to be gone?" he said dryly, ignoring her comment.

"Maybe we wanted to make sure you wouldn't spend all day in there, or try to sneak off without Kagome," Sango replied airily.

"Or," Miroku chirped, "maybe we wanted to watch Kagome in action with her first customer."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, feigning indifference, but, in spite of himself, glanced at the registers just as the customer was waving goodbye, neither paying very much attention.

"See you tomorrow, Kik-Hey!"

Coffee splattered on the floor as the two, solid forms collided, resulting in one staggering back with a coffee stained uniform while the other, with a little less grace, fell to the ground.

Inuyasha rubbed his back tenderly, wincing. "Hey, buddy, why don't you watch where you're going!"

"Why don't you watch where you're standing you…"

Suddenly, both sets of ears perked up and the two strangers whirled to face each other, eyes wide, mouths gaping.

"It's _you_!"

"_You_!?"

It took some time for either to comprehend any sensible vocabulary beyond that, but Kouga was the first to react.

"What the hell are you doing out of jail?" Kouga exclaimed.

Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet, throwing his face forward. "What the hell are _you_ doing _here_? Aren't you supposed to be in Hicksville, or something, you dirty little-"

"Boys!"

Eyes swiveled around to face a steaming Kagome, hands on her hips, eyes glowering. "Can you _please _take this somewhere _other_ than here?"

Inuyasha ignored her temper and glared right back. "_You_ stay out of this, wench!"

Kouga took a step forward, grasping the hanyou by his collar. "Don't talk to Kikyo like that, Mutt-face!"

"I'll talk to her however I want, you mangy flea-bag!" Inuyasha spat.

Growling, Kouga pulled back his arm, intending to put the dog demon out of his misery when a surprisingly strong hand held him back. He turned to find a rather intimidating looking Kagome hanging onto his fist.

"I said, take it _OUTSIDE_!" she hissed venomously, locking eyes with both demons.

Kouga felt himself involuntarily shudder while Inuyasha simply stared at her, stunned once again by the strange girl's bizarre strength. Behind them, Sango and Miroku nodded approvingly, and on the other side of the room, Old Lady Kaede smiled, impressed.

Inuyasha was the first to move, jerking himself out of Kouga's grip. "Feh," was all he offered as an explanation as he sauntered off and out through the front door. Kouga glared spitefully at him as he disappeared before turning to face the simmering girl. She did not let go of his hand, nor did her expression lift.

Kouga lowered his hand and offered her a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Kagome sighed, nodding. "Just don't pick fights inside the shop, okay?"

Kouga grinned. "You got it," he assured her, waving as he jogged outside to join Inuyasha.

With a groan, Kagome glanced at Sango and Miroku. They appeared just as baffled as she was.

Sango rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb at the door. "Come on, you two. We had better go make sure that our little boy doesn't do anything stupid."

Kagome snorted. "More like keep him from doing something we know will be stupid."

Miroku chortled. "Though that may be true, we need to be out there, anyway."

"Go on, you three."

All three turned to find a smiling Kaede standing behind them. Kagome looked a little nervous, but the old woman rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "You've got things to take care of, child, so go ahead and take care of them."

Kagome grinned and nodded. "Yes, Gram."

"Thanks, Kaede," Sango called as they all rushed outside.

* * *

AN: Well, today is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and.... well, suffice it to say, I've had a very trying day...... I've just been thinking a lot about a lot of things, and it's been kinda hard..... I can't tell exactly when I'll update again (even though I have the chapters), and I'm not sure when chapter 10 will be finished..... this situation has left me a bit mentally drained, so please bare with me.... and I'm afraid there'll be no review responses or chapter preview this time... I'll try to include the missed reviewers next time, okay?..... again, I apologize....

heykyra13


	7. Surprise!

AN: Sorry for my lack of enthusiam last time.... my sincere apologies to anyone who noticed.... which was probably no one....

Anyway, here's the next chapter... and Keyo, some of your questions concerning Kouga will be answered. Chapter 10, for all who are concerned, is going to be another long one, but I think I'm over halfway through it now and will hopefully finish it before I go to work tonight!

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 7**

**Surprise!**

"Mutt-face!"

"Flea-bag!"

"Asshole!"

"Butt-sniffer!"

And so, this was how the three humans found them inside the alley behind 'The Bean'.

Kagome rolled her eyes, arms folded across her chest. "Will someone please pause from their invigorating verbal abusing to tell me what the heck is going on?"

Neither demon was willing to fess up, but it was someone else who smacked their face, groaning.

"Duh!" Sango said angrily. "Kouga Ookami. It's you, of course! He was the one who did it!"

"Sango?" Kagome questioned.

Sango was still busy berating herself. "Idiot! This was in his file! I should have realized this!"

"Sango!" Kagome repeated, a little irritated.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" Sango shook her head, regaining her thoughts. "Kouga Ookami, the principal officer of the team that directed Inuyasha's arrest."

"Oh, okay, that makes se-_ARREST_!? What do you mean _arrest!?_"

Sango looked at Kagome, surprised. "Yeah, remember? Inuyasha was arrested for suspected murder two years ago."

Kagome's eyes widened and she stole a glance at the hanyou in question, who merely sniggered at Kouga. "What do you mean, _remember_!? I never knew I was being protected by a _murderer_!"

Sango frowned. "But, you were supposed to be told by…" Realization finally hit her as she slowly spun around to find Miroku quietly inching away. "_Miroku_!"

The young man froze, face paling as he realized he was caught. Of course, it took only a few moments for his brilliant counter strategy to be put into play- he grinned sheepishly. "Sango, my dear, have I ever mentioned how cute you look when you're angry?"

"Miroku, you idiot! You were supposed to tell Kagome about Inuyasha before they even met! Why didn't you!?"

"Um, I forgot?"

"Try again."

"Hello!" Kagome called impatiently. "Little Kagome is still way confused, over here!"

Kouga broke his eye contact with Inuyasha to look at the girl strangely. "Kagome? Didn't you say your name was Kikyo?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what she did, and her hand came up to smack her face, muttering to herself.

Inuyasha snorted. "Good going, wench."

Kouga spun to glare at him, but was unable to lose the overwhelming sense of confusion. "Would someone like to explain to me what the hell is going on? Why are you giving out a false name, and what the fuck are _you_," he thrust an accusing finger at Inuyasha, "doing out of jail when I worked so hard to keep you in there?"

"And while we're making a list," Kagome added, "Would it be too much to ask to find out why he was put in there in the first place?"

Sango sighed, reaching up to cup her forehead. If harping on Miroku didn't give her a headache, this long drawn explanation surely would.

Or the fact that she was beginning to develop a sixth sense when it came to her partner. Without looking, she reached behind her and grabbed the young man by the collar and felt satisfied when she heard his clear squeak of surprise at being caught as he tried to sneak away. Dragging him around in front of her, she said wearily, "Miroku, explain."

"Me? Why me?" he whined.

"Because I said so," Sango replied in a tone that dared him to contradict her.

With no other option, Miroku frowned and turned toward the frustrated girl, confused looking police officer, and pissed off hanyou, wondering where to start.

"Um…"

"The beginning, Miroku," Sango snapped.

"Oh, right," he replied, laughing sheepishly. "Well, uh, let's see. Inuyasha was arrested two years ago."

"Old news, buddy," Kouga stated.

"But why?" Kagome asked, unable to stop throwing nervous glances at Inuyasha who simply responded with irritated growls.

"He was the lead suspect in an investigation on a murder back in LA," Kouga replied, ignoring Inuyasha's glowering. "A young woman went missing for about six months when we received an anonymous tip on a local delinquent half-breed. He already had a record for petty theft, and this girl was the daughter of a pretty wealthy family. Had the motive, had the witnesses, lacked an alibi, and after we got a warrant, we found the weapon and traces of the girl's blood all over his place. The trial was organized, and in no time, he was thrown behind bars."

"Just like that?" Kagome repeated, amazed.

Kouga shrugged. "He was guilty. Not much more to say."

Stunned, Kagome turned to the sulking Inuyasha. "Were you really guilty?"

The hanyou snorted, glaring. "No, I just happened to be sitting in jail with the most pleasant of company simply to pass the time!"

Kagome jumped, startled by his tone. Kouga instantly stepped up in front of her, shielding her from Inuyasha's glare.

"Come on, boys," Sango called, snapping her fingers to regain their attention. "Let's all get along, now, shall we?"

"But I still don't get it," Kagome confessed meekly. "Why did Mr. Sesshoumaru assign him to watch me if he knew he was in jail for _murder_?"

"_FBI chief_, Sesshoumaru Taisho? Assign?" Kouga repeated, looking back at Kagome. "Does this have to do with your fake name thing?"

Sango sighed again. _Yup, there goes that headache.

* * *

_

So, a pause was made in the entire recollection to explain to Kouga the situation- after, of course, conferring upon Sesshoumaru for permission, which he reluctantly gave with plenty of admonishment on his younger brother for his stupidity.

"The head of the FBI is _your brother_?" Kouga exclaimed, staring at Inuyasha, stunned. "You run around the streets of LA for years while your _brother_ was running the bureau!?"

"It conveniently happened to slip my mind at the time," the hanyou muttered.

"And its because of his brother that Inuyasha's here now, protecting Kagome from Naraku," Miroku pointed out.

"And you're sure it was Naraku?"

"We've been trailing him for years," Sango told him. "Kagome's the first witness ever."

"I suppose it makes sense. The guy's one of the most popular businessmen in the world. Everyone wants to be his best friend- from the President to mob bosses to terrorist leaders."

Miroku nodded. "The Queen of England doesn't have that much power, yet no one has thought to stop him. 'Sure, we'll give this dude all the money and power in the world, I'm sure he won't try anything stupid'."

Kouga nodded. "Good point. But the question is, why send in the mutt to watch Kagome?"

"That's what I don't get," Kagome agreed.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. I keep the wench alive, claim the benefits, then get rid of her after the trial."

"What!?" Kagome squeaked.

"You heard me," Inuyasha replied, smirking. "At first, I was planning on just getting by and then ditching you at first chance, but after a while, I discovered I just don't like you, so I'm going to do the world a favor and do you in."

"You're one to talk, jerk!" Kagome exploded, temporarily forgetting about the subject of the conversation. "You treat me as if my life means nothing to you!"

"The girl has a brain after all. Miracles do happen."

"I'm failing to see the miracle," Kagome spat. "No matter how many times I close my eyes, you're always still there when I open them."

Miroku leaned over toward Sango. "By now, shouldn't we be keeping score?"

Sango nodded. "Yup. I think it's three to zero, now, in Kagome's favor."

"Why don't you two shut up?" Inuyasha sneered.

"Why don't you two shut up?" Kagome mimicked. "Both your mouth and ego have been overworked, so why don't you give them both a rest?"

"Point four," Miroku whispered.

"I said, _hush_!" Inuyasha snapped.

"And I said leave them alone!" Kagome returned.

"And what makes you think I'd listen to whatever a weakling little human like you'd have to say?" the hanyou hissed.

"Because _I_ say you had better," Kouga said warningly.

"Oh, look, it's the big bad wolf. I'm _so_ scared."

Kouga smirked. "Rather a big bad wolf than a wimpy little mutt."

Inuyasha growled, flexing his claws. "You wanna bet your life on how wimpy I am?"

"Enough!"

All eyes turned to the new voice that suddenly introduced itself into the conversation. Grandma Kaede stood with her hands planted on her hips, glaring down every person out there.

"Now, I may be an old woman," Kaede began, "but do not doubt that I won't skin you young ones alive for stealing my help just for her to serve as little more than audience to you demons' display of manhood!"

Sango choked back a chuckle. Miroku grinned. "Point to Kaede."

"Kaede, I-" Kouga began guiltily.

"I don't want to hear it," the woman replied sharply. "Kouga, you've got your order, so either you get back to the station or go home. Sango, Miroku, either keep your friend out of trouble, or keep him occupied elsewhere. You know you're welcome here at all times, but trouble like the kind you two are trying to stir up is not. Kagome, if you're done, I need you back in there."

All heads hung low (except for Inuyasha, who merely crossed his arms over his chest and snorted indifferently) and pairs of feet shuffled across pavement to do as they were told. Kaede supervised the movement with a stern face, eyeing all who dared to even hesitate in their procedures.

After everyone else had solemnly left, Kaede gave a Kagome a long look that sent the girl scurrying back into the kitchens.

Kaede paused, making sure everyone else was gone, before allowing herself to smile in satisfaction, slowly sauntering off into the shop.

* * *

AN: Okay, so add Kouga to the list of people who know Kagome's "secret". Naturally, more will develop involving Kouga, including his increasing interest in Kagome and Inuyasha's increasing displeasure at the wolf's increasing interest in Kagome.

Review Responses:

_chibi moon baby_: Thank you very much, and I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner.

_Keyo-Red Angel of Hope_: well, suffice it to say, I did receive your email about your perceptions, so I thank you...and the whole "Charles" thing, as you put it, will.... well, _hopefully_ not be too complicated.... heh, key word, _hopefully_..... dot dot dot...

_kyoko-the-lonely-demon626_: thank you for all of your assistance and for being an awesome reviewer.... you review almost every chapter and make me feel like someone out there actually likes this thing!

Next Chapter: Kagome and Inuyasha fight... several times, you get introduced to Shippo, Kagome is still in the lead and Sango unveals Sesshoumaru's secret identity... hee hee....


	8. A Day in the Life

AN:-_**jaws dropped, eyes wide**-_WHAT THE HELL? 11 REVIEWS FROM ONE CHAPTER!??? _**glances at reviewers**_ are you guys nuts? Why are you reviewing? This thing isn't _that_ good... _**hopeful puppy eyes**_ is it?

Well, I'm absolutely stunned... I mean, I know there are really really good authors out there who practically scoff at _only _11 reviews, but, dude, I am _stoked_! I mean, think about it... over a third of my total reviews came from the last chapter, alone... **_sigh_ **you know, I could get used to this...

Annnnnyyyywaaay, mainly, all that blubbering was mean saying thank you to all who reviewed. In more recent news, I have technically finished chapter 10... see, the situation is that as I was writing it, it ended up being _really_ long... so I split it into chapters 10 and 11... soooo, chapter 10 is done, and chapter 11 is merely paragraphs from being done.... aaaaannnddd, for those who have waited very patiently, a tad bit of some rather familiar mushiness will show its face... plucked straight from the show, might I add!

And now, with a last thank you to all who reviewed, enjoy chapter 8.... andyes, you will all _finally_ find out what I meant about Sesshoumaru's secret identity...... heh, although I highly doubt any of you will be prepared for it when you do..... hee hee....

hEyKyRa13

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 8**

**A Day in the Life**

_Ring Ring_

A long, slender hand did not pick up the phone, but instead pressed the speakerphone button.

"Sango," said the voice calmly. "What do you have to report?"

"_Well, things are going relatively well,"_ was the woman's reply. _"Two weeks, and Naraku's still in France with his negotiations. I know you're gonna say don't take things for granted, but for the time being, I'm daring to enjoy myself. Kagome's doing really well at Kaede's place. She's fitting in really nicely. Kaede loves her."_

"Good to hear. And our favorite anti-hero?"

A sigh was heard, and Sango paused before continuing._ "Let's put it this way, Sesshoumaru. I have newfound respect for you as a suffering older brother._"

Unknown to Sango, the dog demon grinned. "Glad to know I've finally been appreciated for my services."

"_Don't let it go to your head,_" Sango warned teasingly. _"I can certainly see some of the family resemblances._"

Sesshoumaru's grin fell. "Excuse me?"

"_The guy is stubborn, irrational and unreasonable. He practically picks fights just for the sake of arguing, and according to Kagome, he snores like an earthquake."_

"What makes you think I snore?"

"_Just a rumor from the Queen of Gossip, herself._"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. "Sango, you better not-"

_Click._

Sesshoumaru frowned, suppressing the urge to groan. A claw irritably jabbed at the speakerphone button and his eyes snapped to the window by his door, over looking the rest of the office.

"RIN!"

* * *

Kagome looked up from her cookies, tilting her head curiously at her friend. 

"Something up?"

Sango turned to Kagome and grinned devilishly. "By now, only Sesshoumaru's blush level."

Kagome's jaw dropped in mock astonishment. "Sesshoumaru can _blush_?" she replied disbelievingly, reaching for a glass of water.

Another wicked glance from Sango as she laughed. "According to Rin, he can turn a very healthy purple as a response."

"Response to what?" Kagome asked, taking a gulp.

"Fluffy puppy poo."

As quickly as it went down, the water was instantly sprayed out of Kagome's mouth. The poor girl nearly choked on the liquid as she gasped for air, laughing so hard her cheeks turned red.

Having bared through this already, Sango merely smiled and nodded, taking as much pleasure in sharing the information as Kagome was in receiving it.

It took quite a while before Kagome would settle down, and as she slowly regained her breath, Inuyasha and Miroku came back.

"Hello, ladies," Miroku exclaimed jovially. "Did you miss me?"

"Hardly," Sango retorted.

Kagome opened her mouth to say likewise, but at one glance at Inuyasha, she suddenly saw a shorter, younger looking Sesshoumaru before her, and once again became victim to her own torturous laughter.

Inuyasha eyed the giggling girl warily before glancing toward Sango. "What's her problem?"

Sango chuckled, shaking her head. "Trust me, you don't wanna know."

The hanyou took one last glance at Kagome before snorting, rolling his eyes. "Whatever."

The young man walked past the pair of girls towards his room when he paused, glancing back again at Kagome. She had started to laugh so hard, she was now on the ground, rolling from side to side. Eyes slid up to the bar where Kagome's chocolate chip cookies were abandoned. With a sneaky grin, Inuyasha turned away from the door and started for the cookies. Taking a large step over the girl's form, the hanyou helped himself to a handful.

Popping one in his mouth, Inuyasha grinned smugly, and started making his way back to his room when he was suddenly stopped. He looked down.

"I don't think so, buddy," Kagome told him, recovered from her laughter enough to latch herself onto his leg.

"I thought you were occupied," Inuyasha questioned, tugging lightly.

"Not occupied enough to overlook you trying to steal my cookies!" she informed him, squeezing even tighter. "Now, put them back and step away from the cookies."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You sound like my brother."

Kagome bit her lip. "Please… don't mention him," she begged, fighting the urge to break down again.

The young man quirked an eyebrow, but wisely decided he didn't want to know. "Whatever, just let go."

"You first!"

"No! After all my protecting, I think I deserve them."

"Right, so says the guy who claims he's gonna kill me after the trial!"

"Oh, come on! You know I was just joking!"

"Oh really? How do you know I know that? You think I know you that well?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "We've only been living together for half of a month! Geez, how much more experience do you need?"

"You call that experience!?" Kagome exclaimed, laughing sardonically. Finally releasing his leg, she pulled herself to her own feet to get into a better position for arguing.

On the other side of the room, Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. _"Here we go again,"_ Sango mouthed while Miroku nodded.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha snapped defensively.

"It means that we haven't lived together at all!" Kagome shot back. "Living together means talking together, watching movies together, eating together, doing more than staring at each other's bedroom doors!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "And how, do you propose, I eat at all, much less with you, if all you ever do is make food but then turn around and say I can't have any!?"

"So much you know! Half of the things I make _are_ for you, but whenever you waltz in, you can't just be a gentleman about it, perhaps giving me a compliment or even saying _thank you_! No, you just cruise in and demand, demand, demand, like I'm your slave or something! So by the time you're done, I get so fed up with you I tell you to make your own food!"

"You know," Inuyasha replied, trying to calm his irritation, "for someone whose life is at risk every single day, you'd think you'd be more grateful for all this. You're awfully picky."

"Don't try to screw this around on me!" Kagome retorted. "I may appreciate everything Sango and Miroku and Sesshoumaru have done so far, but you do nothing but insult me, so how can I appreciate that? Heck, even Kouga's been more supportive about all this than you have!"

"Uh oh," Miroku whispered to Sango. "She shouldn't have mentioned Kouga."

At the wolf's name, Inuyasha snarled. "Are you kidding? All that mangy wolf ever does is bat his eyes and send you giggling like some love-struck little girl. I do way more than _he_ ever does."

"Oh yeah?" Kagome asked mockingly. "Name one thing."

Flustered, now, Inuyasha glared down at her, knowing that Kagome knew he was unable to answer. With a smirk, Kagome turned to Sango and Miroku. "Hm, maybe it's just me. Sango, Miroku, neither of you remember anything, do you?"

The two exchanged glances, debating whether or not to enter the argument.

Not waiting for them to respond, Kagome returned to Inuyasha, who stood with his arms to the side, fists long forgetting the cookies they held clenching tightly, crumbs falling to the ground unnoticed. "Seems that the idea of you being worthy of my appreciation is unanimous."

"Fine, then!" Inuyasha screamed, throwing the remaining crumbs at Kagome, who dodged them easily, smirking smugly. "You think I'm so useless, maybe I ought to not even bother coming out of my room!" he yelled, storming out and into his room.

"All right, then," Kagome called sweetly. "I'll have to ask if Kouga can start protecting me, but I'm sure he won't mind."

"Screw Kouga!" Inuyasha shouted back. "And screw you, too, wench!"

Kagome nodded, already predicting his next words. _Screw everybody…_

"In fact, screw everybody!"

"Yup, knew it," she muttered to herself, sighing. Shaking her head, she moved toward Sango and Miroku when she paused, inspired. With a small smile, she twisted back into the kitchen, ripped a sheet of paper towel from the stand, and in it wrapped a few cookies. Glancing at the two agents, she held a finger to her lips before comically tip toeing to Inuyasha's door and kneeling. Sliding the wrapped cookies underneath the door, she stood up and called, "Thank you, Inuyasha!"

"Mmprh!" Was his muffled reply, but Kagome distinctly heard movement as he silently accepted the treats.

Kagome giggled, feeling pleased with herself. _Someday, I'll get through to him,_ she told herself confidently.

_Ding Dong_

"Oh, Sango, would you get that?" Kagome called, retrieving a broom to sweep up the cookie crumbs. "That's probably Kaede."

"Sure," the girl replied, hopping to her feet to get to the door. Sure enough, as she opened the door, there was the old woman, smiling. "Grams! Hi!"

"Well, hello, Sango," the old woman replied. Leaning over to see past Sango's shoulder, she saw Miroku smile and wave. "You, too, Miroku."

"Hi, Grandma!" the young man said.

"What brings you here, Grams?" Sango asked.

Kaede smiled and stepped out of the way. "Well, I have a town council meeting to attend, and Kikyo volunteered to watch my grandson for me."

Sango peeked behind Kaede's form. She frowned. "Is he coming by later or something?"

Kaede blanched and looked behind her, stunned to see nothing but empty space. She whirled around, looking up and down the hallway. "Oh, drat! He's gone off again!"

"Maybe we can help find him, Kaede," Sango suggested. "What does he look like?"

"He's small, only but about ye big," she said, holding her hand just below her knee. "Bushy, carrot red hair and big blue eyes, he's really the sweetest thing."

Sango nodded, being sure to remember all the details. "Okay, what's his name?"

"The child answers to-"

"Shippo!"

Both women turned at Kagome's voice to find her holding back a small kitsune cub from the plate of cookies while the child struggled, straining his fingers for the treats that were just out of his reach.

"But, Kikyo!" the child whined, still squirming. "All I want is just one!"

Sango laughed. "Kaede, I think we've found your grandson."

Miroku nodded thoughtfully. "But he's a fox demon, though, correct? How'd he end up becoming your grandson?"

Sango's face fell as she glanced at Kaede's suddenly sorrowful expression. "The lad's parents were good friends of mine. When they became sick about a year ago, I told them I'd take care of little Shippo for them. After they died, I legally adopted the boy and he became my official grandson. The poor dear wouldn't speak for weeks after they passed. Became a real terror for all the babysitters I tried to arrange for him. Kikyo's the first he's ever opened up to-"

"Granny!" Shippo wailed, throwing the woman a tearful gaze. "You say I can have a cookie, right?"

Despite her grief at the memory, Kaede offered the child a small smile. "Aye, child. You may-"

"Hah!" Shippo claimed triumphantly, looking up at Kagome.

"-_After_ you've eaten your dinner," Kaede finished, winking at Kagome before she turned to leave.

"Awww! But Granny!"

Kagome giggled, putting the defeated-looking cub on the ground and leaning close to his ear. "Hey, why don't you go say hi to Inuyasha while I make dinner. I bet he has some toys for you to play with."

"Really?" the child exclaimed, perking. At Kagome's nod, the boy bounced off to go wreck havoc on the sulking hanyou.

"Way to distract the kid, Kagome," Miroku congratulated.

"Not only that," Kagome agreed, "but watching the two of them together provides better entertainment than satellite TV!"

"How so?" the young man asked.

Kagome held up a finger, shaking her head and smiling. "No, just give it a second or two more and you'll-"

"WENCH!"

"See?" Kagome whispered, grinning as the hanyou threw his door back and stormed out, little Shippo latched onto his leg like Kagome was earlier. "Yes, Inuyasha?" she asked sweetly.

"Why the hell do you _always_ send the twerp to bug _me_!?" he screamed.

Kagome smiled as she turned to fill a pot with water for dinner. "Because Shippo likes you. Because I need to make dinner. Because I find personal pleasure in watching you two together."

Sangoleaned over to Miroku, whispering, "What's the score, now?"

Mirokupaused, counting off his fingers. "Um, I think it's Kagome-14, Inuyasha-2, Kaede-6 and you come in second place with 8."

Sango nodded, pleased. "Good," she replied, turning back to the arguement at hand.

Inuyasha sneered. "You find personal pleasure in any damn thing that happens to piss me off, you wench!"

"Watch your language," Kagome admonished with a grin though she did not disagree with him, setting the pot on the stove to boil.

"Damn you," was his only reply as he leaned down to pry the kid off of his leg. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, he held him up to eye level. "Leave me alone, brat!"

"Hey, Inuyasha? What does 'wench' mean?" the boy asked curiously. "And 'damn'? And 'piss'?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Maybe you'll find out when you're bigger, runt."

"When will I be bigger?"

"Later."

"How much later?"

"Just not now, okay?" Inuyasha yelled, getting frustrated.

"But when?"

"Don't you ever shut up!?" he screamed, throwing the boy onto the couch. Miroku had to scramble out of the way so he could land safely on the cushion, narrowly avoiding crashing onto the floor.

"Inuyasha!" Sango exclaimed, rushing to the child's side. "What do you think you were doing? You could have hurt him!"

Sango pulled the child out from between the cushions where he was stuck, only to find, to her surprise, the kid giggling incessantly. Bouncing out of Sango's arms, he scurried up to Inuyasha, jumping up and down excitedly at his feet. "Can we do that again? That was fun!"

Inuyasha growled, eyes snapping to Sango. "Trust me, if I could hurt the little squirt, I would have done it long ago!"

With that, he brushed past the child and stomped back into his room, locking the door. Shippo got to his feet and smiled. "Hah! You think a lock can keep _me_ away?" With that, he leapt into the air and burst into a puff of pink smoke. When he landed, he was a tiny spider, scurrying off under Inuyasha's door.

"Don't you ever worry about Inuyasha harming him?" Sango asked, doubtfully. "The guy's not exactly the most patient, especially with a kid like Shippo."

"True, but Inuyasha'd never hurt Shippo," Kagome told her confidently.

Sango quirked an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

Kagome shrugged, brandishing the cutting knife she was about to use on the vegetables. "Shippo's only been here a few times, but you can tell when he's with Inuyasha. The guy'll get all macho and try to push him around, but he never does anything super harsh. If he throws him, he'll make sure it's onto something soft. If he punches him, he'll do it in a way that won't really hurt him. I can tell he restrains himself a lot."

Sango nodded understandingly, smirking. "Who would have guessed he'd be such a softie for kids?"

"Shippo's had it pretty tough, for a kid," Kagome replied softly, smiling. "I guess Inuyasha can relate."

"Looks like there's more to our hanyou friend than meets the eye," Miroku remarked thoughtfully.

Kagome nodded. "He acts so tough and indifferent, but sometimes, I don't think that's the real him. Sure, there are the times when he completely gets on my nerves, but…"

Sango laughed. "Well, that certainly doesn't sound like the Kagome I know. Actually taking pity on the guy you can hardly stand? All you two ever do is argue!"

Kagome nodded, giggling. "And boy, is it fun!" she admitted. "But still, I can tell. He acts a lot like my brother did when he was trying to act so grown up- he'd sulk around, biting off people's heads, but really, he just kinda lonely inside."

"And you're going to fix his loneliness?" Miroku assumed.

The girl shrugged, smiling. "Why not? If we're going to be living together for a while, might as well make the best of it, right?"

Sango grinned. "Good for you, Kagome."

Kagome smiled, dropping the vegetables into the boiling pot. "Afterall," she continued rather wistfully, "I can understand what it feels like to be lonely."

* * *

In his room, Inuyasha sighed, quirking an eyebrow at the sleeping child on his bed. Little Shippo jumped on it for so long, he wore himself out. Right now, the hanyou sat in his plush leather chair seated beneath the window, watching the boy, thoughtfully. 

His ears twitched back and forth as he listened to Kagome speak. Brows furrowed heavy over troubled golden eyes.

_You think you've got me figured out, girl,_ he thought scornfully, frowning. _You think you know it all. You have absolutely no idea._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

AN: **_Still on ground, laughing_** HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH..... Fluffy ..... ha ha ha ha ha ha.... Puppy......ha ha ha POO!!!!!! **_wipes tears from eyes_** ahhh, now _that_ was funny! Good times, good times......

Review Responses: (yay! There's a bunch!)

_uniquechic_: Sarcasm is my middle name..... well, technically its Marie, but if I were to change it, it'd be sarcasm.... yeah, well, as for your friend.... Monica, I apologize if my fiction has inspired your friend to cause you any harm.... it was meant for Miroku, not you.... and is Sesshoumaru a crossdresser?.... heh heh, isn't he technically one already?.... He looks way too girly to be manly.... **_glances at Sesshoumaru, sharpening claws_**... heh heh, although one swipe from his claws can definately change an opinion, though, right?

_infynitistars_: I am glad you're enjoying this... hee, and to be honest, I was grinning like a Chesire cat.... or rather, Chesire Kat (Kat's my name, btw) while I was writing it... chapter 2 is, so far, one of the best in terms of Sango and Miroku squabbling.... I felt it was a good way to introduce them, you know?

_BlackDiamond-Dragoness_: I'm happy you like it. I have chapters waiting in reserve as I continue writing, so you hopefully won't have to wait that long...

_I love Kouga!:_ personally, I like Kouga, too.... he's way cool, even though I prefer Inuyasha's hot-temperness... anyway, I'm glad you're pleased.

_meece:_ **_eyes wide_** Genius!? _Me_!? You gotta be kidding, right?...... right?........ **_blush_** .... thanks.....

_eeyargh_: **_smile_** glad to know my cliffhanger was appreciated... I was rather proud of it, myself... and no, I didn't know about the Yuri, thing.... yeah, Hojo might stand out a little more... but, I dunno, I wanted him to be memorable....

_Varethane_: You're formula is correct.... the more they hate each other in the beginning, the more impactful their actual slow bonding will be... and don't worry, I'm actually working on it right now... as for all your questions, well, I'm afraid you're just going to have to be patient. Charles was a random spurt of inspiration, and has absolutely no purposeful reference to anything or anyone whatsoever. Glad you're liking it all, though.

_kyoko-the-lonely-demon626_: **_smile_ **you're always such an awesome reviewer. Thank you so much.

_Moo:_ Thank you for reading my fic in the first place. I will try to update, soon.

_Keyo-Red Angel of Hope_: **_grins and salutes back_** At ease, soldier! **_giggle_** and thank you for your excess of compliments, once again... hee, dot dot dot... hee...

_Next Chapter_: Someone dies... I think I shall leave it at that.... my, I'm feeling rather evil, aren't I?


	9. The Hunt begins

AN: HI!!!! .... (blocks oncoming avalanche of tomatoes) Okay, okay, yes, yes, I know!!! I haven't updated in... what, two weeks? But there's a perfectly good reason for it! My mom's computer (the only one in the house with internet access) has come down with a virus that makes the internet run super slow and occasionally unexpectedly quit (right now I'm at my dad's house, hence the reason you're getting a chapter _at all_).... so I couldn't really do anything... and I've been working on chapter 12, but... Christmas time provided me with a few distractions.... like FF VII... and VIII ... and DDR... but I promise I'll at least have chapter 12 done by the end of break (January 10), if not more chapters....

So please don't hurt me....

OH!!! And by the way!!! I reserved a copy of the 2nd Inuyasha movie and it was released yesterday!!! FABULOUS MOVIE!!!!... The kiss, of course, was not nearly long enough.... (evil grin) but of course, at least it _was_ a kiss.... anyway, I won't spoil anything else for you.... just be sure to get it and watch it!!!!!!

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 9**

**The Hunt begins**

Several nights later found Kagome clad in a coffee stained apron and latex gloves, groaning as she looked at the mountain of dishes in front of her. _The Bean_ had closed less than an hour ago, and she should have been home by now, but Kaede asked her to stay after to clean up while she pent herself up in her office, counting down the week's totals and making sure everything was ready for next week.

Naturally, Kagome would never refuse and gladly offered to work overtime, but her usual cheerfulness did not overcome her disgust at spotting the mess of dishes she found upon entering the kitchen. With a sigh, she picked up a mug in one hand, a sponge in the other, and began scrubbing.

"Well, don't we look like we're having fun?"

Startled by the voice, Kagome jumped, dropping the mug. Luckily for her, it landed in the dishwater unharmed. Bad for her, however, was the spilling of mucky dishwater from the sink onto the floor. Kagome groaned, smacking her palm to her forehead.

"Sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to startle you."

The girl looked up and spotted Kouga walking around the counter towards her, sporting an apologetic smile.

The girl sighed again, sinking to her knees to clean up the mess. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. The world just seems to hate me right now, that's all."

Kouga laughed. "Oh, is that all?"

Kagome nodded firmly, feeling a smile tug on her own lips. "Yup. First, this morning, I wasn't paying attention and over-filled my cereal bowl with milk. And before I could clean it up, Inuyasha walked in and slipped on it, therefore starting my day with a rousing roommate rumble."

"Probably deserved it, the mutt," Kouga muttered.

Ignoring the comment, Kagome continued, counting the items off of her fingers. "Then, our fighting made me lose track of time and I ended up being late for work. After that, I dropped a plate of scones, spilled coffee on _two_ people and messed up six orders. _Then_, to top it off, I spill the dishwater on the floor. So, you see? The world hates me."

Kouga nodded. "I see. Well, how about I screw the world and help you clean that up? It is my fault, after all."

"Screwing the world sounds like fun to me," Kagome agreed.

Kouga grinned. "Very well, then," he exclaimed cheerfully, scooping up a dishrag from the counter and kneeling to join her.

"Thank you so much, Kouga," Kagome said more seriously, mopping up the water into her sponge. "I really appreciate it."

"My pleasure," he assured her, flashing her a genuine smile. Turning back to the water, he asked, "So, where's Grams?"

Kagome jerked her thumb at the mahogany door behind the register. "In her office taking care of official business stuff. She'll be in there until ten thirty, making sure everything is perfect and all that. She really puts a lot of work into this place."

Kouga nodded. "And it shows, too. She's loves it like her second grandchild. The woman practically lives here."

Kagome smiled, leaning up to squeeze the excess liquid into the sink before falling back to her knees. Suddenly, she paused, looking up at Kouga curiously. "Speaking of which, what are _you_ doing here?"

Kouga shrugged. "I went by your apartment, but Sango said you were still at work, so I came here."

"Did you want to talk to me?"

"Actually, yes, now that you mention it," Kouga said, sitting up to face her. Kagome quirked her head to the side, brows furrowed in confusion. Kouga smiled. She just looked too adorable.

"Well, actually," he began, "I was wondering if-"

"Kagome!"

Both heads snapped to the front door where Sango burst in, gasping for air. Kagome was on her feet and at her side in an instant while Kouga moved a little slower, frowning at being interrupted.

"Sango, what's the matter?" Kagome asked urgently.

"You've got to get home, now," Sango told her. "Something's happened."

Kagome was startled by her tone. She sounded upset, and this scared her.

"Why?" Kouga asked. "What happened?"

Sango opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, glancing past Kagome. Turning, the girl noticed Kaede's door was slightly open, giving the three view to the elder sitting at her desk, scribbling furiously while glancing up at her computer screen. Turning back around, Kagome nodded. "Give me a little time. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'll finish the dishes," Kouga offered.

"I'll have to talk to Kaede," added Kagome.

Sango frowned but nodded. "Alright, but try to make it quick. This is important."

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry. We will."

"Okay, then," Sango said, turning for the door. "I'll see you two at home. Kouga, make sure Kagome doesn't leave your sight."

The officer nodded. "Got it."

Kagome stood rooted to the floor, watching Sango step outside and glance back at them before sprinting across the street. After she was out of sight, Kagome looked at Kouga, frowning restlessly.

"What do you think it could be?" she asked him.

"Let's not worry about that right now," he advised. "Let's just get what we need to get done and go find out for ourselves."

Despite Kouga's valiant attempt to comfort her, Kagome's unease did not settle. After explaining that she did not feel well, Kaede was more than happy to let the girl go home and smiled warmly as she saw Kouga escorting her home.

Walking in the door, Kagome instantly threw her things on the small table next to the couch and entered the kitchen, Kouga right behind her. Sango and Miroku were already there, seated around the bar, both bearing identical apprehensive expressions. Inuyasha sat at the dining table, arms crossed over his chest, ears flattening to his skull as Kouga approached. The wolf ignored the hanyou's threatening glare in favor of glancing at Sango.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"None of your business!" Inuyasha spat.

"Shut up," Kagome hissed impatiently. "Sango?"

Inuyasha fixed his glare on her only long enough to notice she wasn't paying attention before he curtly 'hmph'-ed and turned in his seat, lifting his chin indignantly.

Kouga rolled his eyes. Kagome cleared her throat. "Sango?" she repeated.

"It's Sesshoumaru," she said, pulling out her cell phone.

"Is he okay?" Kouga asked.

"He's fine," Miroku told him, "but the news he brought us was anything but."

"What news?" Kagome wanted to know.

"Apparently, a body was found this morning washed up on the Pacific shore," Sango said, holding her phone to her ear. "It was an officer from the LAPD, close to where we found you."

"And you think it was Naraku?" Kouga guessed. At Miroku's nod, the wolf frowned. "But why? He had nothing to do with Kagome, did he?"

"Not directly, no," Miroku stated. "But Sesshoumaru said the guy commented on having heard several gun shots in that area the same night as the murder. None of us think he was a witness, but just the possibility of him being one would be enough to give Naraku the incentive to consider him a threat."

"Not only that," Sango added, "but when the body was found, an autopsy found traces of a truth serum injected into the guy's bloodstream."

"So in other words," Inuyasha spoke up, "Naraku thought the fool knew something about the wench."

"In a manner of speaking," Sango agreed, nonetheless frowning at him.

But Kagome was too overwhelmed to notice the insult. She found herself beginning to tremble. "So this perfectly innocent officer was killed because Naraku was trying to get to me?"

"_Miss Higurashi, this is not your fault."_

Kagome jumped at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice being broadcasted through Sango's phone. "Mr. S-sesshoumaru?"

"_Don't blame yourself for this,"_ the chief told her again. _"You couldn't have done anything to stop it."_

Kagome's face fell, her bangs covering her eyes in a veil of black. "I know that," she said quietly, "b-but-"

"_You must understand, Miss Higurashi, that despite the situation, Naraku is still no closer to finding out your whereabouts. May I reassure you that as long as you are under our protection, you are safe, and we will personally see to it you will be attending Onigumo Naraku's trial unharmed."_

"I-I understand, S-sir," Kagome stammered, jerking her head up and down, not realizing Sesshoumaru could neither see or hear the action. "T-thank you."

"Kagome, are you okay?" Kouga asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The poor girl leapt at his touch, whirling around, completely forgetting he was standing right behind him. Kouga's brows rose. Kagome's face was pale and her entire body was trembling horribly. Noticing his worried expression, she tried to fake a lighthearted smile.

"S-sorry… didn't see you, there,"

"Kagome, you looked tired," Miroku pointed out. "You should sleep."

"He's right," Sango agreed. "You've been through a long day, and you need your rest. You've had enough for today. We'll continue talking in the morning."

Kagome was staring vacantly, her eyes not really focusing on anything, inwardly feeling somewhat dazed. She nodded rather emotionlessly before quietly excusing herself and walking into her room, shutting the door behind her.

All eyes followed her as she left, each with their own thoughts. Sango was torn between wanting to cheer her friend back to her usual self or hunting down and killing Naraku herself. Kouga wanted to follow her, to comfort her out of her trance-like state. It unnerved him to see the normally smiling, cheerful Kagome seem so- lifeless. Miroku frowned, wanting to follow and comfort Kagome as well, though doubtfully in the same way Kouga had in mind. Before his face could betray his thoughts to the already protective Sango, he shook his head, attempting to clear his mind of such inappropriate ideas.

Inuyasha remained silent, ears perked. He could hear Kagome moving around in her room, but without the normal bounce in her step. Without even undressing, the girl climbed into bed and laid her head on the pillow, though the dog demon could tell she was far from sleeping. Instead, he could picture her staring at the ceiling, a million and one thoughts racing through her mind at once.

What thoughts were rolling through Inuyasha's mind, however, he preferred to keep to himself, eyes flicking up to the cell phone laying on the kitchen counter. "Impressive. Quite a way with women, you have there, Sesshoumaru. Do they all go running, or is that just your personal bad luck?"

"_Inuyasha,"_ his brother began threateningly.

The hanyou scoffed. "Save the lecture, cause I don't wanna hear it."

Sango leaned down and cuffed the boy about the ears, earning a string of obscenities and bared fangs directed at the female officer. Unfazed, she glared right back. "Why don't you give it a rest, already? Can't you see that Kagome's suffering?"

Inuyasha scowled. "Welcome to the real world. _Everyone_ is suffering."

"Right, like you're in any position to complain," Sango retorted. "Here you are, living in a nice place with money and food, _out of jail_. Oh yeah, I can really see you're suffering."

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about," Inuyasha replied angrily.

"_Enough! Both of you!"_ Sesshoumaru commanded sternly.

Both Sango and Inuyasha turned away indifferently.

Satisfied by the silence, Sesshoumaru continued. _"Inuyasha, I know you don't want to listen to me, but do it anyway."_

"Why? Because you'll ship me in a wood crate to Mongolia if I don't?"

"_Because Naraku is closer to finding Kagome than any of you realize."_

"What do you mean!?" Kouga exclaimed. "You mean that creep knows Kagome's here?"

"_Of course not! But he has sent a reward notice to all of his contacts for her body, dead or alive. As far as our database on him goes, I can guess that we only are aware of about half of those contacts."_

"How much is the reward for?" Inuyasha asked, feigning interest.

Sesshoumaru paused before speaking. _"For your sake, Inuyasha, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."_ The hanyou rolled his eyes. _"Anyway, if anything, it's more vital than ever that you all stay as close to her as humanly possible without appearing too suspicious. Ookami, I'm afraid I'll have to ask for your assistance in Kagome's safekeeping, as well."_

"Of course. I don't want to see anything happen to her any more than you do, sir."

"_Good to hear."_

"What happened to all those guarantees you made her about her being safe?" Inuyasha questioned accusingly. "Whatever happened to your crack-proof defenses, Sesshoumaru?"

"_The defenses keep getting killed,"_ the dog demon told him coldly. _"I only hope you will be able to perform better than they, _brother."

"I guess we agree on something, then, don't we?" Inuyasha hissed, jumping from his seat to waltz into his own room, slamming the door behind him.

Sango frowned at his departure, exchanging skeptical glances with Miroku. "Sesshoumaru, you know I rarely doubt your judgments-"

"_Define 'rarely',"_ was the chief's dry reply.

"You know what I mean," Sango retorted. "But, are you sure it was a good idea to put Inuyasha in charge of Kagome's protection? I don't see how he'd be any better than-"

"_That's right,"_ Sesshoumaru interrupted firmly. _"You don't see. I do. Let's leave it at that, for now."_

Sango sighed, shaking her head. "If you say so..."

"_Just don't do anything stupid… Please…" Click._

Surprised, Sango brought the phone to eyelevel and glared at it scornfully, hoping that on the other side of the country, Sesshoumaru would receive it.

"Now, now," Miroku said calmly, gently pushing her hand down and prying her fingers away from the phone, taking it from her and setting it on the counter. "We'll have time for that later. Now, we should think about getting home."

"I'm not going anywhere," Sango told him stubbornly, glaring alternately between him and Kouga as if daring them to contradict her. Neither, of course, were willing to do so.

"You're going to stay here?" Miroku asked.

"I'll sleep on the couch," Sango replied, moving towards the linen closet to retrieve the extra blankets. "No matter what Sesshoumaru says, I still don't trust Kagome to Inuyasha's hands, and after what we just heard tonight, I'm not going to leave her now."

"But Sesshoumaru said not to do anything stupid," Miroku pointed out. "And I'm sure this qualifies as not a really smart thing to do."

"Miroku, don't try to talk me out of it!" Sango snapped. "I'm not leaving Kagome alone and that's-"

"Don't you think it'll look a little suspicious?" Kouga asked carefully. "An FBI agent involved in the rescue of the witness Naraku needs staying at a 'friend's' house the same day the body was found. You really believe Naraku will buy that?"

Sango glared at him, unflinchingly. "Maybe not, but what's the chance of any of his goons being around for just this _one_ night?"

Kouga shrugged. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess there's no real need for you to stay in the first place, right?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but found herself caught. Instead, she glared invisible death threats at Kouga, but was disappointed when he was unfazed.

Since she was temporarily silenced, Kouga took the opportunity to speak instead. "Look, I feel the same way as you do when it comes to Kagome being left in the care of that mutt… but for now, this isn't the best time for us to do something about it."

"Kouga's right, Sango," Miroku agreed, though obvious he was hesitant to oppose her. "Right now, there's nothing we can do. Let's just come back in the morning and settle things then, okay?"

Both men studied Sango carefully, one with a somewhat calculating expression while the other sported plain edginess. Sango's frown did not lift, and it took some time and deliberation before she spoke, sighing in defeat. "Fine, fine, you guys win. One more night alone won't hurt, I guess."

Miroku smiled and stepped forward, throwing an arm around her shoulders and squeezing supportively. "That's the spirit, Sango! Everything will be fine."

_You'd think he'd learn by now_, she thought wistfully, shaking her head as she took one of Miroku's fingers that were wrapped around her shoulder and pulled back mercilessly, sending her partner reeling backwards with a sharp cry of pain. "For not only Kagome's sake but yours as well, Miroku, I really hope nothing _does_ happen."

Ignoring his childish whimpering, Sango reached to pinch Miroku's ear, dragging him toward the door while he tried to wriggle out of her painful grasp. Kouga merely shook his head, following behind dutifully.

"I hope nothing happens to Kagome, either, mutt-face," he muttered, knowing the hanyou would hear him. "If anything does, I promise, prison won't be your final destination, this time."

With that said, the wolf quietly walked out the front entrance, closing the door behind him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes indifferently after Kouga left.

"Whatever, wolf-boy. There's nothing you got that can intimidate me, so give up trying."

Despite his greatest efforts, he could not fall asleep, and so was left with little options other than to stay up and listen to the three continue the conversation without him. He couldn't help but smirk when he noticed the lack of faith he got from Sango when she questioned his brother's decision of appointing him as head babysitter. Not that he cared, he simply found it amusing.

His confident grin began to fade, however, as he thought more about the conversation- and _Naraku_. Inuyasha scowled. _That bastard… that fucking bastard!_

He wanted to see him fall. He wanted to see that evil, conceited smirk wiped off his face. He wanted to rip his claws through his chest and watch him die, and slowly and painfully as possible.

A low growl started growing deep in his throat and his hands balled into fists at his side as he stared up at the ceiling from his bed.

_Naraku, I don't just want you to die… you don't deserve to get off that easy… not for what you did… what you did to her… you deserve to be tortured, just beyond the comfort of death… feel your skin slowly burn off… cry out when your blood boils inside your veins… no, I don't just want you dead. I want you destroyed, you bastard of a being. I want you-_

A soft sound snapped Inuyasha from his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. His eyes darted around guardedly, suspicious of anyone that might be in his room. But, of course, there was no one there. Feeling rather foolish, Inuyasha snorted and rolled to his side, prepared to sleep.

Another soft sound caused his ears to perk curiously, swiveling around on top of his head. He lifted his head a bit, glancing at the door, frowning.

He knew what that sound was. It was the sound that continually kept him up at night. Ironically enough, it was the reason he always slept in so late every morning, promising a scolding comment from his roommate. He heard it every night since he and Kagome came to this place. It was louder tonight, though, he noted vaguely. Nonetheless, he did the same as he did every night, stuffing his head underneath the pillow to drown out the sound, attempting to go to sleep.

In the room across the narrow hallway, oblivious to the fact she was keeping the hanyou awake, Kagome, as she did every night upon sleeping in this new, unfamiliar, unfriendly place, cried herself to sleep.

* * *

AN: So... somebody died.... you didn't actually think it'd be one of the _main_ characters, did you?.... Come now, shame on you..... Hojo's the only one with that privelage.... we have to give him _some_ sort of honor considering the fact that he doesn't get a girl.... let's face it... he's just not as attractive as a stubborn, dog-eared hanyou, a full-of-himself wolf demon, or even a charming yet perverted monk.... aka FBI agent.... sorry Hojo.... the competition is way out of your league...

Review Responses:

_Zonza_(Smile) I'm glad you approve. And yes, I wish I'd get a thousand reviews.... but alas, tis the bitter difference between a wish and a reality.... (sniff)

_meece:_ Well, now you know who dies... again, no one important, but still.... it lets you know that Naraku's not gonna just sit around and do nothing.... unless he gets distracted by the singing angels....

_PisxiePam_: Hope you approve! I updated... (points upward)... see?

_LilL: _WONDER-ful news! I'm flattered that you like this...

_Inuyasha'smistress_: ............. that's my response to the Kouga comment..... anyway, the whole "Fluffy Puffy Poo" was more or less..... a pet name.... for Sesshoumaru.... from Rin.... (wink wink nudge nudge)

Next Chapter: Inuyasha's in a hurry to get homeand apparently, Kagome stinks.... think about the episode in which "Kagome's smell" becomes an issue, and you might get what goes on next chapter, but I'd appreciate if you were to email me with your ideas instead of posting in the review section for everyone else to see, you know? I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might not know....... suspense, you know?.... and, if for any reason, Riley happens to read this..... don't say a word, Ri, don't say a word... I AM NOT THINKING LIKE JAY!!!!!!

hEyKyRa13


	10. The Fateful Night part 1

AN: Okay, okay, I'm sorry this took so long... hey, if you wanna blame anybody, blame Cloud... he's been distracting... bad Cloud, bad.... _anyway..._ good news is, chapter 12 _and_ 13 are done, _and_ chapter 13 is 16 pages long... no real fluff involved, but the next few chapters will see our favorite pair through their first really big fight... the first of many... but that'll just draw them even closer, right?..... well, at least in _this_ fic it will....

Anyway, hope you all enjoy, and, again, major apologies to all for the wait!

_I know you've been hiding things_

_Using gentle words to shelter me..._

_Your words were like a dream_

_But dreams could never fool me_

_Not that easily_

... just felt compelled to put in random song lyrics... does anyone know them, out of curiosity? Maybe I'll think up something special for whoever does... or maybe I'll get a brain fart and be unable to think up anything.... dunno, depends on whether or not sketching nude models permanently destroys my brain or not.... _shudder_ I'm not looking forward to my next class...

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 10**

**The Fateful Night (Part 1)**

Late the next morning, Inuyasha groggily pulled himself out of bed and out of his room, taking the time to stretch his arms over his head and arching his back before stepping out into the hallway. Considering the fact that it was still, technically, early for him, the hanyou moved around sluggishly, his normally acute senses practically drugged. His lethargic, trance-like state caused him to fail to notice his roommate's presence.

His ears twitched slightly upon hearing a soft humming in the kitchen, but did not turn away. It was only in this dazed stupor that his normal stubborn, arrogant self was still asleep, and in no position to offer any rude, offhand comments about what he would have referred to as "irritating, mirror-cracking ear torture". In this brief period before a decent dose of coffee returned him to normal, the hanyou actually found the daily, jovial tune rather non-torturous, maybe going as far as to say it was even pleasant… ah, but that coffee was sitting in his mug on the bar, ready to be gulped down and successfully drown out those irritating thoughts from his mind.

"Good morning, Inuyasha," Kagome chirped cheerfully, flipping a pancake expertly.

"Feh," was his response as he dropped himself into his chair and reached for the mug, downing the warmed liquid in one swig.

This was how every morning began. Kagome would cry herself into a deep slumber while the dog demon would reuse his earplug technique from the prison to try to sleep, although rarely would it work, so he'd be forced to stay up until she finally stopped. Then, in the morning, Kagome would wake, energized and ready to get over her homesickness. Once showered and refreshed, the girl would bounce into the kitchen, first brewing Inuyasha's morning coffee and setting it on the bar before turning her attention to Sango and Miroku's breakfast, humming to herself as she did so. She was completely oblivious to the cause of the hanyou's late mornings.

Though she knew the effects of the coffee, she smiled at him nonetheless as he grabbed the mug and chugged down its contents. Seconds later, the doorbell rang.

"Come in, you two!" Kagome called, cracking an egg over a stove while her companion put down the emptied mug, licking his lips.

"Morning, Kagome," Miroku called happily, walking in after Sango. "Morning, Inuyasha."

"Whatever."

Kagome smiled, shaking her head. His vocabulary had gone beyond 'feh'- the coffee had finally kicked in. Intending on throwing a meaningful glance at Sango, she was surprised to notice her friend's tense posture and livid expression. Confused, the girl turned to Miroku only to discover the root of the problem.

"What?" the young man exclaimed defensively at Kagome's suspicious face.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "What did you do _this_ time?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" he demanded haughtily.

"Sango's behavior, for one."

"And the other?"

"The red hand mark on your right cheek."

Miroku's mouth opened, intending to correct her, but eventually, the heated glares from both women made him rethink the idea, and he closed his mouth with an audible snap.

Kagome shook her head, giggling. "He never learns, does he?"

Sango sighed, seating herself at the bar next to the slowly recovering Inuyasha. "Unfortunately."

* * *

"And then, I was, like, 'Oh yeah?'… And after that, they just looked at each other and ran!"

"Oh, really?" Kagome repeated, amused. "They just got up and ran?"

Shippo nodded firmly, reaching across the counter for a red crayon. "Yup. They were scared, scared of me, after I told them to leave the puppy alone."

Kagome looked up from wiping the counter, grinning. "Well, of course. After such a brave confrontation like that, who wouldn't be scared?"

Shippo paused, glancing at Kagome before slowly breaking out into a huge smile. "Yeah, I was pretty brave, huh?"

"I'm sure the puppy thought you were brave, too," Kagome agreed.

"Do you think it was related to Inuyasha?"

The girl choked down a laugh, biting her lip. "I don't know, Shippo… uh, maybe, you know? You… ah, never know… um, so, what are you drawing?" she asked, more to change the subject than out of curiosity.

The boy held up his picture to show off his work. Kagome smiled warmly, making out a blurry Inuyasha in red crayon, sporting his trademark frown. Short, jagged lines were his dog-ears and his fangs were small, short little triangles hanging from lips. His golden eyes were round, yellow circles with a ring of blazing red around his pupils, symbolizing his all too common raging temper.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the thick, outlined shape coming from the dog demon's hand.

"It's a sword!" Shippo explained. "I gave him a big sword, so that someday, he might be as brave as me."

"Someday, huh?" Kagome repeated, grinning.

"Yup!"

"Kikyo?"

Kagome looked up from Shippo's drawing to see Kaede peek her head out from behind the office. "Kikyo, dear," she began, "what are you still doing her? Foolish child, don't you know your shift's been over a half an hour ago?"

Kagome's eyes went to the clock above Kaede's head, widening. It's hands read 9:27. "Oh, crap!"

"'Oh crap' is right!"

Kagome jumped, spinning around. Inuyasha stood leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest, brows furrowed.

"'Bout time you noticed, wench," he spat. "I've been waiting outside for nearly an hour!"

"I'm sorry!" Kagome shot back, hurrying out from behind the counter, fingers flying over the knot of her apron. "I was expecting Sango to pick me up, but then Shippo showed up and I was just… hanging out!"

"Yeah!" Shippo put in, hopping to his feet. "See? I drew you, Inuyasha!"

The young man hardly took a look at the artwork before snatching it up and crumbling it into a ball and hurling it against the wall.

"Hey!" Shippo cried.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, standing protectively in front of the child, frowning. She was used to him being rude, but this was rather mean, even for him, especially around Shippo.

"Do I look like I care!?" he snapped. "We don't have time for all these trivialities, so let's go, now!"

"What are you talking about!?" Kagome yelled defensively. "Why don't we have time? And where's Sango?"

"It doesn't matter, let's just go!" Inuyasha hissed, reaching out to grab Kagome's arm.

"Hey! _Hey_! Let me go!" she screamed, tugging her arm out of his grip and backing up against the counter.

Inuyasha scowled, growling low under his breath. Kagome gasped, almost frightened. She had never seen him behave so brutally before, especially when unprovoked. It was in his heated, violent state, as she tenderly rubbed her bruised arm, that she was rather abruptly reminded of the true strength of a half-demon. Her fingers traced the light marks made from his claws, barely scratching the skin, yet not far from drawing blood.

Inuyasha took deep breaths, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, obviously restraining himself. "I-do-not-have-time-for-this," he growled through a strained voice. "We-need-to-go-home-now!"

"Would you _please_ calm down!?" Kagome begged, her own courage from her anger lost and now left with a small amount of fear. "Look, okay? I'm coming. Just give me a little time to-"

"I already told you, we _have_ no time!" he interrupted crossly, stepping forward. "We have to go, _now_!"

"But, I- oh, _HEY_!" Before she could protest any further, Inuyasha promptly closed the gap between them and grabbed her around the waist, lifting and tossing her petite form over his shoulder rather barbarically.

"Hey!" Shippo cried, jumping up in front of them, holding out his arms bravely. "What are you going to do to Kikyo?"

Inuyasha growled, baring his fangs threateningly. "Out of my way, brat!"

Shippo opened his mouth to argue back, but hesitated, eyes widening. His nose wrinkled as he tested the air, reconfirming his suspicion. Inuyasha frowned, not liking the expression slowly transforming the kitsune's face. Not waiting for the child to comment on whatever it was that fascinated him, he brusquely moved him aside with his foot and walked past, bursting through the door into the night air. Shippo did little to stop him, transfixed to where he stood, quirking his head to one side in confusion.

"Inu-Inuyasha?"

* * *

"_INUYASHA!_"

Kagome didn't know whether or not he even noticed her screaming or beating against his back, but she wasn't about to let the possibility that he was ignoring her efforts stop her. At the very least, her screaming could carry through his sensitive ears enough to give him headaches for the rest of the night.

What she didn't know was that her efforts did have more of an effect than she realized. Stepping out into the breezy night, he winced. Surprisingly enough, it was her pounding that hurt more than her screaming- _this _thought made him cringe. He looked up at the inky black sky, dotted with stars but little more. _It's happening too quickly._

Kagome's ranting paused when she felt Inuyasha's muscles bunch together below her as he knelt down, crouching. "What are you-"

Her sentence could hardly be finished as she suddenly found herself flying through the air, the hanyou having sprung like a grasshopper, the street far below them. As much as she wanted to be let down, now she was clinging onto Inuyasha's back as tightly as possible, burying her face in his neck, her eyes squeezed shut. She never really was a big fan of heights, now, was she?

Inuyasha landed with a soft _thump_ on the rooftop of their apartment building and glanced down, eyes narrowing. Three floors down was their apartment, he knew, spotting an open balcony door with white sheen curtains floating out along the breeze.

He prepped for another jump. On his back, he felt Kagome once again tighten her grip, burying her face into his back, whimpering.

"Stop your whining, wench," Inuyasha barked.

"Give me a break!" Kagome snapped back. "I don't like heights!"

"Weakling," Inuyasha muttered, rolling his eyes before leaping off the roof, dropping three stories onto the balcony. He hesitated before entering, sniffing cautiously.

"Yeah, this is your room, alright," he muttered, releasing Kagome's legs to let her drop to her butt as he brushed by, waltzing through her room to the hallway. "The place reeks of your scent."

Kagome sat up, rubbing her side gingerly, glaring scornfully. "Are you saying I smell!?"

"Of course I am," Inuyasha replied as if he were teaching a simple idea to a small child.

Kagome snorted. "At least I smell like lavender and cinnamon. _You_ smell like you grew up in a barn!"

"Feh!" was his only response as he disappeared into his own room.

"Jerk," Kagome muttered, pulling herself to her feet. Walking into her room, she turned and slammed the doors shut, saying something under her breath along the lines of "insufferable, manure-reeking mutt!"

"I heard that, you we- oomph!"

Kagome's head spun toward her open door and across the hallway to Inuyasha's room.

"Inuyasha?" she called out uncertainly.

Instead of hearing the hanyou's grumpy reply, Kagome heard thrashing and glass being broken. A loud thump and the door rattling made Kagome jump.

"Inuyasha! What's going on?" Kagome called out, rushing to his door and reaching for the knob.

"S-stay away!" called the half-demon hoarsely.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked, pulling at the doorknob, frightened even more by the fact that it was jammed. Most likely the work of the hanyou.

"Go away! L-leave me alone!" he demanded again.

"Inuyasha, stop this! You're scaring me! Just open the door, okay? Please?"

Suddenly, the door finally gave way, and slowly cracked open. Trembling, Kagome pushed it further, taking a step and slipping inside.

"Inuyasha?" she called out, looking for his unmistakable head of white. The fact that she could not spot it immediately rather unnerved her, but as she searched, she could not resist taking in what she saw.

She had never been in Inuyasha's room before, not that she'd ever expected him to be so social as to simply invite her in. His room didn't exactly follow much of a theme as Kagome's did, but in a way, it didn't necessarily need to. A red patterned comforter rested somewhat askew atop a spacious, four-poster redwood queen sized bed in the corner. The opposite corner held a polished redwood bookcase of which whose contents now lay scattered on the ground. The third redwood piece was a chest of drawers that sat against the wall next to the door. A tall lamp that, under normal circumstances, would have stood next to the bed, now lay shattered on the floor. As she looked around, she had to pick her way through a ground layer of clothes apparently ripped from the closet.

Kagome frowned, her breath coming quicker. It looked like someone had come and vandalized the place. Naraku's face flashed in her mind's eye as her eyes scanned the room more frantically.

"Inuyasha! Where are you?"

The girl jumped at the sound of a low, barely audible groan coming from a pile of clothes almost hidden from view behind the foot of the bed. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Kagome bravely took one step at a time to bring herself in front of the pile, slowly sinking to her knees.

"Inuyasha? Is that you?" she whispered, leaning forward to poke a finger into the mass. Within an instant, though, she was flung back as a figure burst from the pile, scattering clothes everywhere.

Kagome fell to her butt for the second time that night, but this time, looking up into the face of a stranger. Dark hair cascaded in waves down a tall, lean figure and violet eyes focused intently on her. And, due to the fact that she was in hiding for her life, the first thing that came to mind was to do something to protect herself.

So she screamed.

"Would you shut up!?"

Kagome paused, startled out of her focus to concentrate on the stranger's voice. It sounded almost… familiar. After her initial hesitation, Kagome tried to appear intimidating by glaring scornfully at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. "And what did you do with Inuyasha? I swear, if you did anything to him, I'll-"

"Do absolutely nothing, _weakling_," he growled.

Her eyes widened, taking in what he said slowly. _No way!_

She watched in amazement, too stunned to move, as he took one step toward her when he suddenly stopped and groaned, doubling over, his face contorting in what looked like pain. Within seconds, he was on his knees, clenching his teeth tightly to keep from crying out in pain, his entire body quivering in spasms.

Before she knew what she was doing, Kagome was at the young man's side, her hands resting on his shaking shoulders. "I-Inuyasha?" she stuttered, still reeling from the transformation, yet somehow knowing it was him.

Between convulsions, the young man glanced up at her through the corner of his eyes, unable to pull away. "I t-told you… to s-stay… away… w-wench…" he wheezed.

Of course, this did nothing but draw her closer, hovering over him like a mother hen. "Inuyasha, what happened? What's going on?"

"Y-you i-idiot," he hissed under his breath. "J-just leave m-me a-"

"_Inuyasha_!" Kagome screamed as his body stilled and he slumped forward, half onto Kagome's lap, deep in unconsciousness.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she chanted, staring at the hanyou now lying at her feet. And as she continued staring, she suddenly became aware of some startling changes beyond just the hair and eyes- in fact, it was the hanyou's very startling lack of "hanyou-ness" that surprised her. The fuzzy triangles she had come to be so accustomed to seeing disappeared in favor of a pair of pink, fleshy ears on either side of his face.

So stunned was she by this discovery that she boldly reached forward to his mouth, hooking a finger under his lip and gently pulling it out of the way. Sure enough, his demon canines were gone. Very carefully, she rolled his enormous form onto his side and reached for his hand, pulling it into her lap, ignoring the fact that his fingers twitched very lightly. Her fingers traced over his short, rounded nails, no longer the long, sharp weapons she remembered him constantly threatening her with.

A soft groan tore her eyes away from his hand to his face as the facts slowly dawned on her. "You're a _human_!"

* * *

AN: Heh, Miroku will never learn, will he?... What? Oh, yes! Inuyasha! He's human... so, if you can remember the events of the show in that fist episode he turns human, you can probably recognize some details that will show up in the next chapter. And no, the transformation does not normally hurt him at all, much less as much as in this chapter... but, think of it this way, the more he suffers, the more Kagome'll want to help, and the closer they'll end up becoming... that's my theory, and I'm stickin' to it!

Review Responses:

_helmet-head_: Yeah, after I reread it, I realized that would probably be what most of you would think- Naraku's finally come! But in reality, I never intended it to sound like that. But I didn't want to change it... I'm stubborn that way, I guess..

_Inuyasha'smistress_: hee... I thought the whole "Fluffy Puppy Poo" thing was hilarious the first time I wrote it... I was cracking up as I typed. And as for the dead person... well, the assumption was left on purpose... by me... so you're not stupid...

_asylum100_: I'm happy you're enjoying it. And the Sesshoumaru and Rin... "thing".... we can't call it a real relationship... yet... mwahahahahaha....

_jschu25_: Anyone who reviews for _my_ stuff is _never_ a brat... besides, you gotta let the world know, right? I don't have a calender, but I did get a really cool Shippo keychain that's on my backpack now. And for Christmas, my friend (I call her Tsume for a billion reasons which will not be explained, but for our purposes, we shall call her simply Tsume) got me a plushie Sesshoumaru... now all I need is the Inuyasha and possibly the Miroku... I already have Kirara... Although I have absolutely _no_ idea why _anyone _would want a plushie Jaken...

_Fyyrrose_: _smile_ I am very pleased you are so.... pleased... anyway, here's the next chapter for you, and I'll do my best to get cracking on the rest of the chapters... I'm rather surprised myself... I've already spit out over 160 pages and my writing streak is still going... granted, it was a little wobbly in doing chapter 12, but it's back to full force, now!... it gets me wondering how long this thing really will be?...hmmm, quoting the Tootsie Pop commercials.... "The world may never know"...

Next Chapter: Pretty much explained above, but Inuyasha's a human, Kagome knows, and it's up to your Inuyasha episode guides and your little imaginations to figure out the rest!


	11. The Fateful Night part 2

AN: Okay, well, as said, chapter 13 is done and ready, and chapter 14 is in progress. I need some filler space, so capter 14 is mainly going to be filler... but good filler, nonetheless!

By the way, I've been tinkering with this idea for a new Inuyasha fic for a while, and for some random reason, I've started writing (only about 5 pages, though), and I really like it, but I need a title. If anyone is interested in helping, let me know and I'll post a summary on the next chapter.

Oh, and either no one knew where the song lyrics came from... or no one reads my little notes... in which case I feel a little stupid... but anyway, for anyone who cares, they were from "1000 words" from Final Fantasy X-2... fabulous game, the animation is amazing, and the music is delightfully addictive. I was thinking about posting song lyrics up here to see who could guess them... but if no one reads up here, then I guess there's no point...

Enjoy.

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 11**

**The Fateful Night (Part 2)**

Kagome watched her roommate, her breath held in her throat. Her discovery left her not only stunned, but baffled. She had no idea what was going on, nor what to do now. Replaying the encounter in her mind of the young man writhing and hissing in pain, she shivered. She felt compelled to do something to help, but as for what that something was, she was left to her own imagination.

_First things first, _she reminded herself. _Get him off the dirty floor._

Inuyasha groaned again, eyes fluttering and mumbling incoherently, but still not waking.

Kagome frowned, bringing her hand up to bit her thumbnail nervously. He was obviously still in pain, but hanyou or not, he was still way too heavy for her to do little more than shove around, let alone pull onto his bed or anywhere else more comfortable. She looked around his room, searching for something to ease his pain. Spotting the comforter barely hanging onto his bed, she felt a spurt of inspiration and grabbed it, clearing a space on the ground and spreading it across.

Turning back to Inuyasha, she tried delicately slipping a hand under each arm and lifting. His upper body barely moved under her strain. Determined to move him, she dug her hands a little further, wrapping around each arm a little more securely and tried again. This time, she managed to lift a little higher and inch him across the carpeted floor, pausing only once to catch her breath. Pulling his entire body onto the thick, soft comforter, Kagome made sure his head rested on several pillows.

Once she was sure he was comfortable, she sat back, watching him, wondering what to do next. _I don't want to be too far away, just in case something happens and his pain returns,_ she reasoned. _But if I know him, he'll throw a fit seeing me coddling him like this._

Kagome's brows furrowed as she concentrated, weighing the consequences. _Let him suffer or endure my own suffering?_

The girl sighed. _Come on, Kagome. No matter how much of a jerk he may be, you're not gonna just abandon him. It's just not in your nature and you know it._

With that in mind, she pushed herself to her feet and made her way into the kitchen, picking up a hand towel from the linen closet on her way. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, she filled it with water, quietly returning to Inuyasha's room with both items in hand. For a second, she paused, looking down at his almost peaceful state, frowning. _He doesn't look like he's sleeping too deeply. If I try to do anything to help now, there's a good chance he'll wake up and be awfully pissed when he finds me here._

After a moment of deliberation, she finally settled on placing the glass and towel on the chest to be used if needed. That done, she scanned his room, looking for something to occupy herself while she waited for him to stir. Eventually, she grudgingly found herself picking up the mess from his earlier struggling, folding his clothes neatly on his bed and returning any non-damaged items to the shelves.

About a half hour later, she stood at the doorway, rather pleased with her efforts. The floor was free of all debris, save for the still slumbering human laying on the comforter. She was rather relieved to discover her charge sleeping a lot more soundly as time went on, hardly stirring even as she moved around him.

With nothing left to keep her busy, Kagome collapsed on the floor next to Inuyasha and leaned back against his bed, sighing. She glanced down at him, eyes narrowing. "You know, it's pretty pathetic that a full grown half-demon like you is capable of keeping a room worse than my little brother's. May I be the first to tell you that _that_ was an all new level of disgusting."

She was only a little put off when his only response was a soft snore. Kagome chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I guess what's pathetic is me, trying to argue with you when you're not even awake. See?" she added, leaning down to lightly rap her knuckles over his forehead. "You're out like a log, and here I am, trying to hold a conversation. But, since there is absolutely nothing else to do and I don't want to leave you alone, try I must and will."

He flinched under her touch, but she didn't notice as she continued, not understanding why she was suddenly enjoying herself.

"Since you're in no position to argue, right now, we need to get some things straight. First off," she began, waggling her finger at him, "you need to learn to lighten up. You're always so stiff and defensive. Don't forget that _I'm_ the one whose life is in jeopardy, not you, so you're not the one that needs to be so uptight. And speaking of which, you can lay off calling me wench, all the time. Let me reassure you, _I am not a wench_! It's ridiculously annoying and, in case you didn't notice, rather rude, so I'd really appreciate if you'd stop. In case you've forgotten, I _do_ have a name. Since you refuse to use my new name, even Kagome would be better than wench."

Listening to herself, Kagome leaned her head back on the bed and laughed softly, shaking her head. "Not that you'd listen to me though, right? I mean, after all, you _are_ Inuyasha. For _you_ to listen to _me_ would be as crazy as you getting along with Kouga. And, by the way, what's your deal with him, anyway? He seems pretty okay to me. I mean, he may be a little too forward, but he doesn't hold back anything. He has no secrets and knows no regrets. He doesn't have a problem with letting others know how he feels, and doesn't care what they may think of him for it."

"But then again, that's not you," Kagome reminded herself, glancing back down at him. "I know you always think I don't know anything, but you've got to give me some credit. After all, I _have _lived with you for the last month. But I admit, I don't know everything. I know, big shock, huh? Of course, I'd never tell you that while you were awake, but for right now, I'll satisfy my conscience this way. I mean, I don't know _why_ you act the way you do, but I'm sure there's a reason behind it. Heck, there may even been a reason behind why you apparently hate me for no reason. I don't know your history. But I'd be willing to learn."

With a giggle, she leaned closer to his face, cupping her hand around her ear. "What's that, you say? Why? Well, I'll tell you why. It's because I have way too much fun tormenting your poor, tortured soul and to repay you for all the entertainment you've provided, I've decided to do something. You're not as bad a guy as you make yourself out to be. I can read the signs of denial. I _was_ majoring in psychology before all this happened."

Suddenly, a soft vibration interrupted her speech. "Hold that thought," she told him as she fished her cell phone out of her pocket, flipping it open and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Kagome?"_

"Sango! Where are you? I thought you were going to pick me up from work today?"

"_I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I had to ask Inuyasha to pick you up. Sesshoumaru called this morning and wanted me and Miroku to go back to LA, immediately."_

"What did he want?"

Sango paused, and Kagome could barely hear Miroku mumbling some sort of apology in the background. _"We don't know yet. The plane we were _supposed_ to catch left without us due to the fact that Miroku 'just so happened' to crash into the blonde ticket attendant, making her drop all the tickets and, in the process, lose ours. We just now landed and are looking for- oh, wait, there's Sesshoumaru now. Kagome, I'm sorry, I've gotta go. I promise I'll call as soon as I find out what's going on. Until then, I hate to ask you this, but please stick around Inuyasha as much as possible. If he gets too annoying, I guess you could call Kouga. He left you his number, right?"_

Kagome blushed. "Yeah, he did."

"_Good. Call him if you need him, but no matter who it is, make sure one of them is with you at all times. Okay?"_

"It's okay, I know the drill," Kagome assured her. "You two just be careful. And Sango, try not to be too hard on Miroku."

Sango chuckled. _"I'll try, but I can't make any promises."_

"See you soon, Sango."

"_Take care of yourself, Kagome."_

Click.

"What did who want?"

Kagome jumped, looking down. Inuyasha still lay prostrate on the red comforter, but his violet eyes were now half-open, fluttering with the effort to stay awake. He moaned softly, trying to sit up.

"No, don't move," she told him, reaching out to pull him back down. "I don't know what happened, but whatever it was took a serious toll on you. You need to rest."

Inuyasha frowned, but succumbed to her pleads nonetheless, coughing on his way down. Kagome jumped to action, leaving his side only momentarily to grab the glass and cloth.

"Do you want something to drink?"

The young man didn't try to speak, but nodded. Kagome was rather surprised, but said nothing as she slipped her hand under his neck and held the glass to his lips, careful not to spill. Inuyasha took a few gulps before allowing the girl to gently lay his head back down on the pillows.

"So what, did you major in Psychology at a medical school or something?"

Kagome looked at him quizzically. "You were listening?"

Inuyasha shot her a shrewd glance. "How could I sleep with you talking your head off?"

"How long?"

The young man paused thoughtfully, smirking after a moment. "Long enough to hear you admit you didn't know everything. Bummer I didn't have my tape recorder with me."

Kagome scowled. "Shut up," was her intelligent response.

Inuyasha laughed, an action that caught Kagome completely by surprise. No sarcasm or cynicism in his tone, just an honestly humorous laugh. Not necessarily a non-pleasant sound, she thought to herself, just not expected. She was able to do little more than stare dumbly at the young man oblivious to her attention. _This isn't Inuyasha, is it?_

After he finally regained his breath, he finally noticed Kagome's strange expression, tilting his head backward to watch her. "What?"

"You just laughed," Kagome stated, still dumbfounded.

"Yeah, so?"

"But… you just _laughed_!" she repeated emphatically.

"Your point?" he replied.

For a moment, her mouth merely gaped, moving up and down but producing no sound. Watching her, Inuyasha found himself nearly overcome by another fit of laughter, but fought the urge.

"I… I just didn't know you _could_ laugh, that's all," she admitted.

The comment quenched the laughter inside Inuyasha rather quickly, and he scowled. "Why? Didn't expect a _half-demon_ capable of such things?"

"No, no!" Kagome said quickly, her cheeks scarlet with embarrassment. "That's not it… it's just, I've never seen your face do anything but scowl and smirk. This is just… different."

Inuyasha snorted disbelievingly and lowered his head, closing his eyes defiantly. "Fine, then. I won't do it anymore."

"No, don't!" Kagome insisted. "It's not bad, just surprising. I'm sorry if I offended you."

Watching him, she could have sworn his pink ears perked as his head whipped back, staring at her in amazement. "You are?"

Seeing him stare at her with his head literally upside-down, a stunned expression on his face, made the girl giggle. "Of course I am. Remember? _I'm_ the one hiding from the guy who lies because_ I _have to tell the truth."

"You're also the girl that is lying to all the people in town and your own family," Inuyasha pointed out.

Kagome grinned. "Point taken."

Inuyasha shook his head and settled back down, yet still not ready to fall back asleep. For some inexplicable reason, he found himself somewhat enjoying the conversation, not exactly wanting it to end just yet.

"You know, you're awfully talkative this evening. This is the first conversation we've ever had that didn't involve any insults, loud voices or slammed doors," Kagome remarked, almost reading his mind.

Inuyasha nodded. "So it is."

Kagome bit her lip, wondering whether or not she should voice the concern that had troubled her all evening. Unconsciously, she brought her thumb to her mouth, nibbling on her nail.

Inuyasha noticed the action and frowned. "What?"

_Oh well. Here goes nothing._ "Um… well, since you're in such a chatty mood, would you mind if I took the opportunity to ask you a question?" she began cautiously.

The young man was instantly aware of her anxiety and became suspicious. "Sure," he replied apprehensively.

"Well… I just wanted to know… why did you… or, well, why _are_ you… um…"

Inuyasha sighed, predicting where this question was leading. "Human?" he guessed.

Kagome blushed. "Well, yeah."

Inuyasha's eyebrow quirked, but he made no move to answer. Instead, he lay back down, closing his eyes.

Kagome waited, wondering whether or not he was going to answer, or if he was even considering. In all honesty, he wasn't. Inwardly, he berated himself.

He despised himself, or rather the human side of himself, and what he was. Humans were weak creatures that were prisoners to their emotions- those strange, useless things he had long since discarded in favor of his well-practiced, stoic, indifferent self. In his world, it was the demons that were the strong, emotionless indestructibles that he could do little more than dream to be. _Indestructible,_ he reemphasized in his mind. _Humans are anything but…_

Kagome sighed, aware of the fact that he was lost in thought again, and assumed he would not answer her question. "I'm sorry, that was stupid. I guess it's not really any of my business. I'll go, now, if you-"

Inuyasha snorted. "Right, as if it not being your business would stop you from trying to find out, anyway."

Kagome looked at him for a moment, giving him time to continue if he wanted, but quickly figuring that he was finished and smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

Inuyasha nodded, eyes drifting shut again. Kagome took that as he cue, and started getting to her feet.

"What's that smell?" he asked suddenly.

Kagome jerked her head up, brows furrowing. "What? What smell?"

"_That_ smell," he repeated firmly. "I'm human and I can smell it, so don't tell me you can't either."

"Is it a bad smell?"

Inuyasha lifted his head a little to tentatively sniff the air. Still frowning, Kagome did the same. He lowered his head back onto the pillow. "No, not really," he admitted slowly. "I guess it's nice, but what is it?"

Suddenly, she thought she got a slight whiff of the scent she assumed he was referring to and found herself highly amused. He saw her features relax into a smile and looked at her questioningly. "Well? You smell it, don't you? What is that?"

"That… is _me_," she told him, her smile spreading from ear to ear.

Inuyasha shrank back, not liking the way she smiled at him. He felt like he had just walked into a trap, and certainly _did not_ like feeling trapped, _especially_ by Kagome.

"What do you mean?" he asked guardedly.

Kagome giggled at his obvious discomfort. "It's lavender and cinnamon, remember? The scent _you_ said my room reeked of? The scent you _also_ just confessed you liked!"

"I never said I _liked_ it," Inuyasha countered lamely.

"But you _did_ say it was nice!" Kagome pointed out, rather pleased with her discovery that left Inuyasha looking like he was cornered. "Just admit it, I smell nice. It's not _that_ hard to give me a compliment, is it?"

Inuyasha scowled in that all-too familiar way, save the fact that his glaring eyes were not violet instead of amber. "Why don't you just go away, wench?" he snapped, but lacked emotional force. His exhaustion was slowly claiming control over his senses.

Kagome shrugged, but did not hide her grin. As she _very_ slowly got to her feet, Inuyasha was vaguely aware of something- he may have had the last word, but she _still_ won the argument, didn't she? _As she always seems to do,_ he thought, almost bemused. He suddenly let out a sigh as he felt sleep tugging on his consciousness.

He also felt something else tugging at him and, but was too tired to notice until it was too late. Another reason why he hated being human-

"Hey, Kagome."

-he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut when he wanted to.

Kagome froze, whirling around. _Did he just… call me…?_ Her thoughts slowly ebbed into an incredulous degree of shock while part of her still hovered in disbelief.

Inuyasha frowned, noticing her stare, but continued anyway. He pretty much figured the reason for her surprise, something that rather surprised himself as well. Oh well. Can't stop now, right?

_Hm… come to think of it… the whole "mouth-shutting" thing… it wasn't just a human problem, was it?_

_Yeah, but it becomes _more_ of a problem when you're human,_ another voice reasoned in his head.

Inuyasha agreed with himself, and went on to prove the voice right.

"I admit it," he said softly, eyes closing again, ready to fall asleep as soon as this was all over. Sleep was already taking over his reasoning, so if Kagome thought she was going to pounce on him in the morning for whatever he happened to say right now, he could blame it on exhaustion.

"Admit what?" Kagome asked, slowly shaking off the surprise of hearing her name from his lips.

"That you smell nice," he said simply.

And there it went- as soon as the surprise wore off, it came back with a vengeance, now tingeing her cheeks crimson. _He must be really tired_, she reasoned, shaking off the idea that he might actually mean it.

"Oh," she replied softly, willing her face to return to its natural color. "Um… thanks."

"It's because of the new moon," he added as an afterthought.

Kagome blinked. _The new moon makes him compliment people?_

"What's because of the new moon?" she asked.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, already feeling the effects of teetering on the edge on consciousness. "I'm human."

"Really?" Kagome replied, re-entering the room to sit back down next to him, intrigued. _While he's nearly out, this may be the only way I can get any answers out of him_, she thought, filing this information for later use. _Bummer his dog-ears are gone, though,_ she added as an after-thought. "How come?"

"Cause I'm a hanyou… _yawn_… all hanyous always turn human on the same night every month… my time is on the new moon."

_A specific time of the month, eh? Sort of like me,_ she thought absently, amused. "So that's why you wanted to get back in a hurry? You knew tonight you would be human?"

Inuyasha mumbled something in agreement. "I don't like being human."

"Why not?"

"Humans are weak."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Whatever you say," Kagome replied, realizing he was in no position to argue. Not to mention should he decide to wake up enough to _be_ in a position to argue, there was little chance of them ever continuing this very informative conversation.

Recalling the evening's events, she was suddenly reminded of something, and frowned sadly. "I heard you screaming and thrashing. Every month- is it always that… painful?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, and she thought he had gone to sleep when he mumbled, "Yup."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't. S'not your fault," he replied, slurring his words slightly.

"But-"

Suddenly, she was cut off as Inuyasha, his logical, rational mind long since shut off, twisted around to his side, conveniently resting his cheek on Kagome's thigh and his arm coming up to curl around her waist, holding her like a child would a teddy bear. "Mmmm, G'night, Kagome," he said softly, already beginning to snore.

_Um…. oookaaay…._

The last time she felt her heart beat this hard, Naraku was holding a pistol to her head, and, of course, the pounding was for an _entirely_ different reason. The organ felt like it wanted to leap out through her throat and slap her awake from what she was sure had to be a dream.

_This has to be a dream… Inuyasha would never just… um, grab…. me… dream, Kagome, remember, this is a dream… wait, why are you dreaming about Inuyasha, anyway?_

It seemed the farther she delved into her thoughts, the more twisted her thoughts would become, and the hotter her face would grow. Shaking her head to rid herself of the ridiculous notions springing forth out of her control, she tried to relax her stiffened body, all while her raging heartbeat pounded somewhere behind her ears, making her feel dizzy. Very gently and very careful to not wake him, Kagome slipped her fingers under his arm, pulling it slowly away from her body to rest on the ground. She inhaled sharply when Inuyasha started to move, but then, apparently thought better of it and merely rubbed his cheek against her leg, sending her face in another flurry of flames after she had just gotten it back to normal. With a hard gulp, she let go of his hand, staring at his face, praying desperately that he did not try that again.

_Okay, Kagome, you can handle this, just breathe… one down, just one more to go…_

The girl frowned, not knowing exactly how to remove his head from her thigh when he didn't look like he wanted to be moved. A small voice in Kagome's mind reminded her of this; she could almost feel a smirk of satisfaction wanting to transform her panicked expression.

_Well, if he _is_ that comfortable, wouldn't want to really disturb him, would we? After all, without his scowl, he _is_ kinda cute, especially when he's sleeping like- Stop that! Bad Kagome! Bad!_

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath, imagining by now that her face was sporting new shades of red by the minute. Forcing _those_ thoughts from her mind promptly, she instead fixed on how she was going to get him off of her. She glanced around and her eyes fell on his abandoned pillow. With a smile, she snatched it and proceeded to carefully lift his face high enough so that she could scoot the pillow in between her and him. Moving as quickly as she dared, she then repositioned herself out of the way and laid the pillow, with Inuyasha's head, on the ground, holding her breath to see if he would stir. Luckily, he did little more than to release a somewhat loud snore, leaving Kagome relieved but still a little edgy. Hopping to her feet, she inched to the door, glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was still asleep, then shut the door and returned to her own room, flopping onto her bed with a big sigh. She glanced at the clock.

_Wow, 11 already?_ she thought, suddenly aware of how tired she was as her eyes drifted shut.

Only one thought crossed her mind before it shut off completely.

_Next new moon… can't forget… gotta remember… get… camera… human… and a… a… really soft… cheek… hmmm… G'night… Inuyasha…_

_

* * *

_

AN: Well, there was the bit of mushy I promised... and yes, the scene should look a bit familiar... Inuyasha commenting on Kagome's scent... lying on her lap... sort of, anyway.... oh well... I was a little bummed that I don't hear from my usual reviewers anymore, but I'm very glad for the reviews I get!

Review Responses:

_suppup17_: _smile_ There. I updated. Happy?

_Kagome92111_: I try to update as much as I can considering I don't know when I'll have time to write the next chapter...

_IceSpikeXBlackRose_: _raises eyebrow_ Well, well, well... she's back! Glad to have you back, my friend...

_helmet-head_: I hope this chapter met your expectations...

_Larnom_: Yay! Both Riley_and_ Bonnie-san make their triumphant returns!

Next Chapter: _Rage_ ... That's the title... but the question is, who's gonna get enraged? Inuyasha? Kagome? Naraku? Sango? Miroku?..... Shippo? ... You never know....


	12. Rage

AN: _ducks flying tomatoes_ Ow! Ow! Yes, I know, I know! I haven't updated in... forever... but blame my school and my job for pinning me with so many hours that I hardly have time to sleep five hours a day, let alone write at all... And I'm afraid to say that the inspiration streak is being affected by the lack of rest, so writing is coming a little hard... when I have the time, that is...

Anyway, I'm really really sorry this was so late in coming. Honestly, chapter 14 still is unfinished... about 70 done, but still unfinished. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for your patience as I struggle through with this... excuses, I know, but at least they are excuses that are true. I'm really worn out, and trying to do the best I can in all areas, but it's not working out too well... But, at least the end of the term will be soon, and I'll have a chance to recouperate and hopefully win my inspiration back...

My apologies, once again...

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 12**

**Rage**

Inuyasha awoke the next morning to an unfamiliar wall and a splitting headache. The headache, at least, he recognized as a nasty side effect from his re-transformation into his hanyou self. As if the pain of changing in the _first_ place wasn't enough. But the wall he stared at blankly, brows furrowed.

Due to his lack of coffee to reawaken his senses, it took him a rather embarrassingly long time to finally recognize the wall-like structure as the side of his bed, ex-nay the red, fluffy comforter.

His first reaction was to merely accept it and close his eyes again, preparing to lull back into sleep. A few moments of laying there, waiting to fall unconscious, gave way to his second reaction- _Wait… bed?... side?_

One eye cracked open a second time to reconfirm the sight. He slid his gaze upward, and, sure enough, there was his white sheeted bed, lacking its covering. Further one-eyed exploration found the missing comforter lying beneath him like a cushion, his head resting on his pillows.

_Did I sleep on the floor? _Was his second thought as he forced both eyes open. With a great effort, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, yawning and drawing his arms over his head, arching his back until a satisfactory crack announced his body was adequately stretched. He glanced around, pleased that his acute hanyou sight had returned, if only a little blurry from just waking.

He lifted his nose, testing the air. _The wench is up,_ he thought absently, recognizing her scent in the kitchen and hearing the softly beating of a wire whisk in a plastic bowl. _Smells like eggs, too. Eggs and… mmm, pancakes. Hmm, should I risk trying to snatch them again?_

With all senses completely focused on food, it didn't strike him until he got up and sluggishly moved to the door that something was wrong. Something was _very_ wrong.

Spinning around, his eyes widened in surprise. With the exception of the rumpled comforter on the ground, his room was spotless! A pile of the clothes he distinctly remembered tearing from his closet last night in his thrashing were now folded and stacked neatly on his bed, which he also noticed was made as tidily as one could without the comforter. The lamp beside his bed was also standing, missing the small dent he himself placed on the stand near the base. His bookshelves were restored and refilled, with no clutter anywhere to indicate anything out of the ordinary took place the previous evening.

_Must have been her,_ he realized, frowning as he was finally aware of the fact that her scent drifted over everything in his room. _Wonder how she could have…

* * *

_

Kagome finished pouring the last pancake into the griddle when a scream made her drop the bowl, scattering the scant remains of batter across the floor.

"What the-"

"_WENCH!"_

_Guess he's awake,_ Kagome thought timidly as she made to walk to his room. But, before she had hardly took two steps, the hanyou himself nearly whipped the poor door off its hinges and stormed to face her, face and hands trembling in suppressed rage.

"Inuyasha, what's-"

"What the hell did you….. _how_ the hell did you… _why the hell did you!_"

"Inuyasha, would you calm down?" Kagome sputtered, her own anger slowly rising in defiance to his. "I can't understand a single-"

"_YOU WERE THERE, YOU BITCH! YOU SAW… you saw…_" Unable to finish, his voice slowly tapered to a low, guttural growl, eyes focused a little unnervingly on Kagome, pupils thinning to dark, feral slits.

Peaked anger quickly fell before the combined forces of surprise and confusion as Kagome looked at the hanyou, staring at him as if he had just grown a second head. "Inuyasha, what are you-"

The next few seconds Kagome didn't even remember until much later when she spent her time recalling her adventures while curled up on a couch. She remembered taking in a deep breath, opening her mouth to yell her next word. The word itself was temporarily forgotten as the next thing that registered through her mind was the mind-reeling sensation of a rough, calloused _something_ brushing against the sensitive skin of her throat.

Next thing she knew, the back of her head crashed against the refrigerator door, her fingers clawing uselessly at the pressure at her neck which she suddenly and chillingly realized was the grip of the ex-murderer hanyou. Her eyes went wide, creamy skin paling to a bleached white like she had just seen a ghost.

"I-_swear_," he snarled, punctuating each word with a threatening squeeze of his fingers, "if-you-_ever_-tell-_anyone_… _I'll_ make sure Naraku won't have the pleasure of seeing you _die_ at his…"

Suddenly he stopped, eyes shifting elsewhere. Air hissed through Kagome's teeth, the poor girl only now realizing that she had it held in the first place. However, with Inuyasha's hand still around her throat, recovering that breath proved almost as difficult as taking her eyes away from Inuyasha's untamed manifestation.

The hanyou merely ignored her, instead completely focused on the distant sound, quickly approaching. With an irritated growl, his eyes snapped back onto Kagome, teeth bared, noting her pulse quickening beneath his palm. Jutting his face forward, he stopped, his nose millimeters above hers, a deep snarl rising from deep within his gut.

"_Keep your lips shut_," he hissed, squeezing one last time before releasing, letting gravity pull the girl back to Earth in a heap of coughing, sputtering flesh. On her hands and knees, she was a little distracted to notice Inuyasha storm away, or the front door open.

"Oh my God, Kagome!" Sango gasped, crossing the living room in a few concerned bounds to kneel by her friend, not forgetting to throw Miroku a pissed off look that screamed '_See? What did I tell you?_' The young man merely sighed in defeat, shaking his head as he made his way toward the women.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango asked, her hand on the girl's back, alternately thumping and rubbing when necessary to assist in her struggle to breathe.

Kagome nodded, although not looking rather convincing as she attempted to fight back the purple coloring in her cheeks. Miroku appeared with a glass of water, which she greedily accepted with little more than a wheezy 'thank you'. After a few more back thumps and gulps, she could finally sit up, breathing much easier.

Sango's hand never left Kagome's shoulder, nor did her threatening glare ever leave Miroku. "Now, what on earth happened? It wasn't Naraku, was it?"

Kagome shook her head, taking her time in answering. With her head still bowed slightly, she glanced through a veil of bangs at Inuyasha's door. It was cracked open, not a creature in sight. But no one needed to be, she told herself. Not with his unnaturally acute hearing. The open door served no other purpose but as a reminder. She frowned only briefly, her fingers brushing up against the indentations left from the hanyou's claws, before covering the frown with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Sango," Kagome replied sheepishly. "It was my fault. I was trying the eggs to see if they were done, and, stupid me, it ended up being too hot. Problem was, it was already too far down my throat, but my body was trying to cough it up anyway."

"Well," Miroku spoke up, inspecting the contents on the stove. "I don't think anybody'll be making the same mistake with _these_ eggs. Not even Inuyasha could swallow these things," he added, holding up a charred lump of evidence.

Kagome giggled while Sango rolled her eyes, although obviously pleased that her friend was recovered enough to laugh. Nonetheless, her brows creased in her ever-familiar motherly fashion. "Geez, I leave you alone for _one _night, and look what I come back to find? I swear, Kagome, between Naraku going after your life and Inuyasha going after your sanity, and now you yourself- you're not making it easy on me, are you?"

"Sorry, Sango," Kagome replied, genuinely apologetic.

Kagome's sincerity worked at Sango's frown, turning up the corners just slightly. "Yeah, well, as long as you don't go strolling along in front of Naraku's office, we'll call it even, kay?"

Kagome grinned. "Deal."

"Well, now that the tear-jerking part is over," Miroku interrupted, earning a playful glare from both girls, "can we do something about breakfast? That airplane food was horrible."

The girls exchanged looks, rolling their eyes exasperatedly, but got to their feet with smiles nonetheless.

* * *

Kagome and Sango were busy working a _new_ breakfast when Inuyasha finally emerged from his room, not looking any more pleasant than he had earlier. He made sure to shot Kagome a long, meaningful glare before he tossed his jacket over his shoulder and strode toward the front door.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" Sango asked, her voice dripping sugary sweetness.

Inuyasha didn't stop, but his swiveled ears belayed his attempt at pretending he didn't hear her. "Walk," he muttered gruffly.

"Not while we're here, you're not," Sango snapped, sweetness dropped in favor of bitterness. "Kagome needs as many bodyguards as she can get, now."

The hanyou paused long enough to throw the officer a lazy, disinterested gaze. "Yeah, uh huh, just page me when the part where I actually care comes around, kay?"

Sango's face boiled red. "Inuyasha," she began in a warning tone.

"Sango, why not just let him go?" Miroku suggested, wary of her eyes suddenly snapping on him, the heat around her growing. "I mean, _we're_ here, aren't we? Why can't he go for just a little?"

"Miroku, this isn't the time to be changing sides," Sango warned him.

Miroku blanched, and opened his mouth to plead his defense.

"No, he's right."

All eyes fell on Kagome, the entire room stunned into silence. Even Inuyasha frowned, wondering what the girl was trying to pull. Miroku's expression bled relief while Sango stared at her questioningly.

"Excuse me?" Sango replied, both irritation and shock battling for control of her face.

Kagome, feeling the weight of Inuyasha's suspicious gaze on her, looked at Sango with a smile. "Well, why not? After all, like Miroku said, you two _are_ here. And Kouga is sure to be here sooner or later, right?"

Sango narrowed her eyes. "You look like Kagome, but you certainly don't sound like her. Are you a Kagome clone Naraku placed so that he could take the _real_ Kagome and kill her?"

"Of course not!" Kagome replied light-heartedly. "I'm just saying-"

Sango interrupted, placing her hand on the girl's forehead. "If that's the case, then are you sure you're feeling okay? Do you have a fever or something? Was the egg rotten?"

"Sango!" Kagome giggled, swatting her hand away playfully. "I'm fine. I just think that Inuyasha deserves some time to himself now and then, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Sango replied. "All he ever does in sit in his room. Are you saying that that doesn't count?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. All I'm saying is it's unfair to keep him cooped up in here. A simple walk can't do any harm, right?"

Inuyasha watched her in silent curiosity. He had no doubt she was trying to suck up to him, keeping him off her neck. At the same time, he hated how everyone seemed to be talking like he wasn't in the room. As if his life was to be determined by whether or not he had _their_ permission. Of course, he couldn't stand for _that,_ now, could he? No matter how nice… no, but rather, _in spite_ of how nice Kagome was trying to be.

It was out of his mouth before he realized what he was doing.

"Yeah, just like the simple little walk that got you here in the first place, right?"

For the second time this morning, the room was trapped in a dead silence. Miroku and Sango both stared at him, eyes wide in shock. Slowly, both head swiveled around to look at Kagome, waiting for her reaction.

The girl stared unblinkingly at Inuyasha, her face expressionless. Her mouth gaped open only slightly, lips trembling furiously.

_CRASH_!

Sango and Miroku both jumped at the sound of the glass, only seconds before being scrubbed down by Kagome, crash to the ground, exploding into thousands of tiny shards. But no one made any inclination to clean it up.

Internally, Inuyasha winced. Maybe he had gone just a _little_ too far…

His ears perked. Kagome said something, but it was so soft, even he couldn't make it out. He frowned.

"What, wench?" he spat, ignoring the tiny voice in his head that was screaming at him to shut up.

This time, when she repeated herself, he could hear what she said. He distinctively heard two, tiny words. _Get out._

The hanyou snorted, making no effort to move. "Excuse me?" There went that little voice again. But, of course, Inuyasha never was best at listening to others, even if it was a voice in his head.

"Get out, Inuyasha," she said, in a clear enough voice that, now, Sango and Miroku heard her. Her fear of Inuyasha's wrath was long gone. Her own wrath had taken its place.

He smirked. The voice was still singing a chorus of _Shut the hell up_, but he had long since pushed that to the back of his mind. "You think I'm gonna listen to an ugly, egotistical, freakishly aggressive chick like-"

"_I SAID GET OUT, YOU ASSHOLE!_!" she screamed, slamming her hands onto the sides of the sink with as much force as she could muster, her entire body now quivering with the force of an earthquake in an uncontrollable rage. Her eyes bore holes into Inuyasha's, not blinking for an instant despite the tears that swelled along the lines of her lower lids. "_GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!_"

Without a second thought, Inuyasha spun around and, as casually as he could, walked out the front door, slamming it shut behind him. He stood outside with his ear to the door, trying to determine what would happen next.

_CRASH!_

"_Fuck!_" he cried, jumping away from the door, rubbing his affected ear gently. She was throwing dishes at him! Even through the door, the noise was like a foghorn in his ear.

_CRASH!_

Not wanting to wait for the next round, he grunted, stuck his hands in his pockets, and promptly walked away, trying to shake the image of the ghost-like Kagome from his mind.

* * *

Sango and Miroku exchanged helpless glances as they let Kagome hurl dish after cup after bowl at the closed door. They both knew Inuyasha was no longer listening, guessing from his muffled "_Fuck!_" that he had decided against taking his chances with the rampaging human girl. Not even they had the nerve to ask her to stop, or to even offer her a supportive hand on the shoulder. At this point, she was completely uncontrollable. Not even their words could penetrate the madness that had taken over. There was nothing left for them to do but wait it out. Eventually, she'd run out of steam, they figured. Either that, or she'd run out of dishes to throw.

Neither had to voice aloud their thoughts, for they knew they were thinking the same thing. _Hopefully she'll stop at the dishes._ They didn't want to think of what would happen if she began looking around the room for something else to throw.

But, all too soon, Kagome _did_ run out of dishes. Sango and Miroku watched her with baited breath, not daring to say a word.

Kagome leaned heavily on the sink, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Her throat was sore from screaming, and her fingers were bleeding in places where her fierce grip cracked the glasswares before throwing, but she ignored them all.

Some vague part of her mind reminded her that Sango and Miroku were still in the room, so, ignoring them both, she stormed into her room, slamming the door so hard, the nails in the hinges rattled precariously.

Sango and Miroku stared after her, still a little too unnerved to say anything. They didn't need to.

Kagome's scream pierced through the door, having both officers on their feet with their weapons in hand in a heartbeat.

"Kagome!" Sango called out, racing to the door a step behind her partner. She reached forward for the doorknob.

Miroku's hand held her back, and she twirled on him, pressing her gun to Miroku's forehead threateningly. "What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

Miroku, miraculously disregarding the gun barrel at his head, held a finger to his lips and hissed for silence. A low noise that sounded more like Inuyasha's growl erupted from Sango's throat as she opened her mouth to scream a string of select vocabulary even Sesshoumaru would flinch at. However, all those vocabulary words were lost in their formation as Miroku, in a stunning feat of either bravery or stupidity, clamped his hand over her mouth, demanding silence once again.

If looks could kill, Miroku would be dead long ago, but the look Sango sported now would be enough to raise him from the dead long enough to kill him all over again. Surprisingly, the officer's normal fear of his partner was gone as he looked sternly at her, tilting his head to point at Kagome's door.

A loud wailing suddenly brought things into perspective. Sango ripped her head out of Miroku's grasp to stare at the door, tip toeing forward to push it open just slightly. With Miroku hovering over her shoulder, for once no perverted inclinations on his mind, the young woman peeked through the crack.

Kagome sat on her bed, her chin tucked into her collarbone as she screamed in agony, tears that were stubbornly held back now flowing freely. A large, somewhat worn out brown leather jacket was held to her chest, her fingers coiled around the collar.

It tore Sango's heart to see Kagome so… broken. After the girl's cries softened to whimpers, Sango had to finally look away. Only Miroku noticed the girl lay slowly on the bed, her body curled in a fetal position around the jacket, still sobbing. Without a word, he reached forward and quietly closed the door, leaving Kagome to her privacy.

Turning back around, Miroku saw Sango stomping toward the door, a determined expression on her face, being sure to take off the safety mechanism from her weapon.

"Where are you going?" he asked, racing after her.

"I don't care what Sesshoumaru says," she growled, yanking the front door open. "I'm going to kill him."

Upon glancing back, many would find Miroku's sudden bravery rather admirable. However, suffice it to say, Sango was _not_ one of those many. If her look before was fiery, her glare now was scalding molten lava as, for the second time, Miroku's hand reached out to stop her.

"Come on, Sango. Don't do anything hasty, now."

"Hasty! _Hasty?_ Miroku, what that jerk just did doesn't deserve imprisonment, it deserves supreme torture!" Sango hissed, fighting Miroku's grasp. "And you're _defending him?_ What he did to Kagome is-"

"Unforgivable, I know," Miroku finished calmly, not letting go. "But weren't you the one who said you wanted to protect Kagome. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt leaving her to chase Inuyasha was what you had in mind."

Sango ripped her arm away, taking one last glance at the open doorway before slamming the door shut, walking around Miroku to collapse onto the couch, arms folded over her chest stubbornly as if to say, '_There. Happy now?'_

Miroku sighed, shoulders slumped. Between the two overly emotional women, he _wasn't_ having a very good start to the day, was he? And, as far as he was concerned, it was all due to one thing…

"I guess we _won't_ be having breakfast, then, will we?"

* * *

AN: So... with the chapter entitled _Rage_... I'm a little surprised that only two people guessed at the mad person being Inuyasha, _no one_ guessing it would be Kagome, and one personhoping it wouldn't be the both of them. But I'll let you digest it all and wait to see if you approve of their arguement... I know some have commented that they didn't want to see Inuyasha and Kagome fight like this, and that they've appreciated the few tender moments, but as you should know by now, anytime a major fight occurs, _especially _when it's between Inuyasha and Kagome, that simply makes it all the more worthwhile to see the efforts they make into making up and becoming closer later...

Review Responses:

_suppup17_: By all means... chores come first... cause then, parents can't get pissed and revoke internet priveleges... and yes, in case you are wondering, I _am_ speaking from experience...

_Rikana_: _smile_ thank you...

_koinu-no-ai_: I am very glad you brought that up. As I was writing, it was something that bothered me, as well. But no one made a mention of it, so I sort of ignored the feeling and continued. But since you brought it up, it gives me motivation to do something about it. And I think I know what I'll do... and it has something to do with something that Kagome did in this chapter... if you figure it out or have more ideas, please email me. I appreciate any type of feedback that can improve my writing.

_IceSpikeXBlackRose_: _sigh_ There she goes again with the dramatics... I still say you could play the villaness in some soap opera... and btw, I believe you are still in my kitchen right now, eating eggs and bacon before we go to church... just to let you know...

_Kagome92111_: _smile_ Feel free to ramble all you like... I'm not picky about what kind of replies I get...

_allin656_: _applauds_ Congratulations. You were the _only_ one to even come close to guessing who the fighting was between. You should be proud. And as I said before, the harder they fight, the sweeter the make-up, right?

_helmet-head_: _grin_ Can't deny it. Mushy is good... mushy is _very_ good... Anyway, you were one of the two people that imagined Inuyasha as getting mad... of course, Kagome _also_ got mad, but you still got half of it so take pride in your accomplishment!

_Kuro-chan_ : _shudder_ Is there even such a _thing_ as a Hojo/Kagome fic?... _shudder _I really hope not... that's just morally wrong, in my _opinion_... Sure, Kagome and Inuyasha aren't the _only _way to go... but Kagome and Hojo... that's just not an option... Anyway, I'm glad you like the fic. Please, if you have any comments, feel free to email me. Of course, I understand what it's like not having enough time to do so sometimes... but whenever you do have time, I'd really appreciate the feedback!

_Inuyasha'smistress_: _nods_ I agree... friends contribute a lot towards our downward spiral to insanity... _glares at IceSpikexBlackRose eating in kitchen..._ in fact, they contribute way too much, if you ask me... But anyway, I'm glad things are making sense and that you are enjoying the fic!

Next chapter: Inner Turmoil and Ramen

Inuyasha gets enlightened by a bowl of ramen... that's really all I can say... I'll let you gnaw on that one for a while, and wish me luck in getting more chapters out!


	13. Inner Turmoil and Ramen

AN: Yes... yes... I know I'm horrible about updating... hard to believe I used to update once a week, huh? Now it's...what... once a month? If even?... Again, it's all an issue of time and a rapidly thinning source of inspiration. Thank you so much for being patient. I'm breathing sighs of relief that I don't have any reviewers flaming me for taking to long... you guys rock!

By the way, this chapter would not have been updated tonight if not for helmet-head, and her request for an update as a "Get well" present for her knee surgery. So I dedicate this chapter to you!

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 13**

**Inner turmoil and Ramen**

"Well, well, well," the old woman clucked, eyeing the newcomer as she dried a coffee mug, minutes before the shop was about to close. "Look what the cat dragged in… literally. You look horrible."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, it _is_ raining. What's your excuse?" Inuyasha replied sourly, brushing the water droplets from his coat as he took a seat at the bar.

Kaede smirked. "You'd do well to respect your elders, boy."

"Considering the fact that my life's pretty crappy anyway, I don't see how 'doing well' will improve anything."

The woman shrugged. "As you wish."

Inuyasha eyed the woman curiously but did not say a word, secretly surprised and somewhat disappointed she didn't attempt some brilliant comeback as he had expected. He needed a good fight with someone to ease some of this tension, and his normal prime subjects, Kagome and Sango, were in no mood to entertain him. Concealing his disappointment from the old woman, though, he rolled his eyes, heaving a deep sigh.

"Ah," Kaede murmured knowingly. "So it be one of _those_ days, huh? I think I may know something for that."

The hanyou shot her a questioning glance, but the woman either did not pay heed or did not notice as she disappeared into the kitchen.

When she returned, she surprised him by setting down a bowl of ramen noodles and a pair of chopsticks in front of him. She smirked as she watched him stare at the bowl, then up at her with a confused expression.

"Ramen? Isn't this supposed to be a _coffee_ shop?"

"Ah, but you forget."

"What is that?"

"This is _my_ coffee shop."

His eyebrow quirked. "Uh huh. And this is supposed to cure what, exactly?"

"Your inner turmoil," she told him.

"My inner what?"

Kaede quirked an eyebrow of her own. "I thought dog demons were known for their superior hearing?"

Inuyasha ignored her comment. "So what, were you a Psychology major, too? Back in the Stone Age?"

"Very clever," she replied dryly, but not without humor in her tone. "Yes, back before the computer and the pencil sharpener, when I had to use dull pencils to drill holes in my patients foreheads so their memories could spill for my pleasure."

Inuyasha grimaced. "I _was_ going to eat, you know."

The old woman chuckled, returning to her mug. "This is a coffee shop, boy. And this is a very small town," she explained.

"I hadn't noticed," he muttered, slurping up his noodles.

"Put two and two together," she continued. "Everyone comes here to share their grief and their troubles."

"So you feed them noodles and they lay back on your hidden little reclining couch, telling you how their day went?"

"Something like that."

"Hmph," Inuyasha snorted, draining the last of the bowl's contents, smacking his lips. "Well, I'm sorry to say I doubt I'll be confessing any deep, dark secrets anytime soon."

"You can't deny that that was some pretty good ramen, though, right?" Kaede replied confidently.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, smirking. "You're just fishing for a compliment, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

"Well, you're not getting one," he informed her, getting up from his seat.

"And where might _you_ be going?"

"Home. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

Kaede threw him a stern look. "Will they let you come back?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened only slightly before he glared. "You heard," he replied in a low voice, more of a statement than a question.

The woman's eyes crinkled as she grinned wickedly. "One doesn't need dog demon hearing when what you're hearing is _that_ loud."

The hanyou snorted. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Kaede shrugged. "Fine. I'll pretend I didn't say it, but the question still stands- will they let you come back?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he made his way to the door. "You say that as if they have a say in the matter."

"Whatever you say, Inuyasha," the woman said quietly, clearly unconvinced.

Hepretended to not noticeand swung the door open, exiting before she had the chance to make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already did.

Kaede watched him through the storefront window as he stalked across the street, his pace slowing the closer he got to the apartment building. She chuckled as he hesitated before entering.

With a knowing shake of her head, she finally put the mug down and picked up another, kneading its surface with the cloth expertly. Never had a single glass mug or plate fell beneath her experienced fingers. She _always_ knew what she was doing.

"The ramen is already kicking in."

* * *

_Why in the world should _I_ feel bad? She asked for it. Trying to act all friendly like that. She was just sucking up to me so I wouldn't try to kill her again. Was it my fault she had to be so damn nosy on the night I turn hu- weaker? I was only acting out of defense! If she blabbed to anyone… _

_She wouldn't. _

_She blabs enough to those two officers. 'Inuyasha always does this' and 'Inuyasha always says that'._

_Does she say anything bad?_

…

_What, do you expect her to strike up some friendly conversation about her family and friends? Her school? Her dead boyfriend? The practically perfect life she left behind?_

_I would._

_Liar._

Inuyasha scowled. How was it possible that, even when arguing with himself, he lost? It seemed the more he tried to blame Kagome, the more he ended up defending himself.

"Stupid wench," he muttered, standing outside his door, debating whether or not he should enter. Even he _was_ at fault, which, of course, he firmly believed he _was not_, he blamed Kagome for all the guilt he felt. All the guilt he _shouldn't_ be feeling, considering he was innocent.

"Why am I even standing out here?" he wondered aloud. "I didn't do anything wrong. _I _should be the one kicking _her_ out!"

_You ran out, idiot._

"I didn't run," he argued. "I _walked._ And besides, she _forced_ me leave."

_She's a human. How could she force you to do anything?_

Inuyasha struggled to come up with a logical answer, or an intelligent comeback, but was able to produce nothing more than a defeated "Shut up" as he reached forward to grab the doorknob. But he couldn't. His hand just hovered above the brass knob, confliction and arguments leaving his poor mind aching and very confused.

Was he to blame or wasn't he? One side of him argued he was faultless, that it was all Kagome. She's hated him from the very beginning, that day when they first met. She was always there, ready to defy him, insult him, do _something_ to piss the hell out of him.

_Did you ever give her a _reason_ to be nice to you?_ asked the more rational side that was slowly gaining momentum, making the other voice he was used to siding with sound less and less convincing.

"Well…"

_Besides, in spite of it, wasn't she nice to you anyway?_

_Don't listen! She was always rude to you! She's never been nice!_

_What about the little things? The coffee she always had ready for you every morning? The 'thank you's' she gave after every time you picked her up from work?_

"But…"

_She didn't last night._

_You were yelling at her the entire time, and she didn't even know why. And what about the way she cleaned your room? And made the effort to help you while you transformed? She gave you water, made a place for you to be more comfortable, even sat and talked with you. Don't forget how she defended you this morning, after everything you did and said to her._

_It was all her attempts to suck up to you! All she needs you for is to keep her alive for a few more months. Then, the trial will be over and she'll go back to being her annoying little self._

_Would you stop that? Is all you ever think about simply yourself? Remember where that got you last time?_

"Don't go there…"

_All you ever think about is Inuyasha-_

"Stop it."

_Inuyasha…_

_Inuyasha…_

"Inuyasha."

"STOP IT!" he screamed, shaking his head to silence the voices. His hands clamped over his ears, hoping that would solve something. "Just _shut up!_ I've had enough!"

"Inuyasha, are you alright?"

Suddenly, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he spun around, growling out of habit.

Kagome gasped and shrunk back, muttering apologies under her breath.

It took him a few moments to register what had happened while he was preoccupied with listening to the debate going on inside his head. For whatever reason, Kagome had opened the door and found him standing there, muttering to himself. She called his name, but when, instead of responding, he suddenly cried out in what looked like pain, she rushed forward, trying to help him.

_Again,_ reminded the voice smugly.

_Shut up_, he told it as he faced Kagome who had finally stopped trembling and slowly straightened. He no longer had that frightened expression, but was still left looking somewhat confused as he stared at her, brows wrinkling in frustration.

The two were able to do little more than stare, both wary of each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Inuyasha sighed. They weren't getting anywhere.

"Look, can I-"

"Do you want to come in?" Kagome spoke up at the same time.

Inuyasha blinked. _Wasn't she the one who kicked me out in the first place? And now she's inviting me back in?_

And to think, he didn't think his confusion could get any worse.

"Sure," he replied stiffly.

Kagome moved aside, allowing him to walk past her and into the living room. He was unsure as to what to do next, so when Kagome turned back around from locking the door, she found him standing next to the couch, his face mirroring his uncertainty.

"Um, do you want to sit down?" she suggested, echoing his tension. "I could get you something to eat. Or drink. Do you want-"

"No," he replied curtly, finally taking a seat. He sat in silence for a moment before he suddenly changed his mind.

"No, thank you," he corrected in a slightly gentler tone. His gaze skirted to her from out of the corner of her eyes, wondering absently if she noticed.

To say she did was a bit of an understatement. Her eyes widened slightly and she merely stared at him, as if wondering if what she heard was real or just her imagination. After she convinced herself it was the real Inuyasha who said that, she offered him a genuine smile, whether of approval or gratitude he wasn't sure, and moved to sit on the other side of the couch, folding her hands in her lap and staring at her feet.

Once again, the two were locked in a tense silence, minds rolling over thoughts of what to do or say next, of the other's reaction, of what the other was thinking right now. Inuyasha's eyes kept wandering, from his feet, to his hands, to Kagome, to the kitchen, to the entertainment center, to Kagome, to the front door. His thoughts were no less stable. Nonetheless, he felt compelled to do or say something, regardless of the fact that he had _no_ idea of what that something may be. At least the voices weren't screaming at him, although, at the moment, he wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He could use some advice on what to do right about now.

Whatever it was he had planned, if anything at all, Kagome beat him to it. He braced himself for the worse, but suddenly felt caught off guard at the two words she whispered so softly yet sincerely.

"I'm sorry."

Inuyasha spun around to stare at her incredulously. Whatever he had prepared himself for, her apology was certainly not it.

With her attention completely focused on her feet, Kagome didn't notice his expression of absolute astonishment. She was too nervous to look up at him, too afraid she'd find him scoffing at her, or, even worse, for whatever reason even more angry. She had a lot to say, and she knew if she looked up at him, her stubborn pride would get in the way and she'd end up saying something that would make the situation even worse.

Taking his silence as an encouragement, she continued.

"This morning, I guess I said stuff I really didn't mean. Just cause I was mad. That's not right, and I'm sorry."

If Inuyasha thought he had felt guilty before, it was nothing compared to the wave of shame washing over him now. He frowned. The feeling was certainly not foreign to him, and he hated it. Of course, there was only one way he knew to ease the feeling, but he was not sure his pride would allow it.

_Screw your pride,_ suggested the now dominant voice.

Inuyasha bit his lip. _If you say so…_

"I sort of deserved it," he admitted quietly.

Kagome broke all of her own rules by looking up at him, surprised. Luckily, neither anger nor smugness greeted her. Instead, contrite honesty looked back at her through his golden orbs, ears drooping slightly, a fang chewing his lip nervously. She almost giggled. He really did look cute.

"Maybe just a little."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, then narrowed, no longer looking so cute. She was teasing him.

_Sounds like she's back to normal, then._

He opened his mouth to throw a clever retort back at her, but Kagome spoke first.

"But that doesn't justify it," she added. "What you said _did _hurt me... a lot," Inuyasha's ears drooped slightly at this, "You had no right to say it... but... I was still out of line, and I apologize. I could have handled myself much better. It was wrong of me."

_Great. Right when I was all prepped and ready to start another fight, she had to go and say something like that to take the fun out of it!_

Inuyasha sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, you're sorry, so can't we just say we were both at fault and go back to arguing with each other?"

Kagome pouted, but not without a smile playing on her lips. With a playful glare, she reached over and poked him in the arm.

"So is that all I am to you? A source of entertainment?"

Inuyasha caught the humor in her voice and felt pleased. He didn't bother to contemplate why as he leaned over, smirking. "That and my morning coffee," he told her. "I'd say you were good for making breakfast, but with you, it takes too much effort on my part to get the food."

"Oh yeah?" Kagome challenged, not backing down.

"Yeah."

The two locked gazes, suddenly finding themselves engaged in an intense staring contest, neither giving in. Inuyasha was a half-demon, with superiority in everything over Kagome, and felt confident in his victory. What he didn't realize, however, is that growing up with a little brother like Souta added its own merit to Kagome's ability, resulting in a shocked Inuyasha blinking down at Kagome's smug grin.

"I win," she said simply.

Inuyasha rubbed at his eyes, frustrated at his loss, and yet amused at the same time. "I don't think so," he claimed stubbornly. "I want a rematch."

"Maybe some other time," she replied, still light-heartedly but with a hint of distraction in her voice as a thought suddenly came to mind.

With his eyes still closed, he felt the couch cushion move as she stood and walked around him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he wanted to know as he finally opened his eyes and looked around, spotting her just before she disappeared into the hallway, an expression of intense concentration.

"I just thought of something," was all the answer she gave him.

Inuyasha frowned, wondering what in the world she meant when a he heard a door open and a triumphant "Ah hah!" from the girl in question. His confusion was quickly resolved, however, when he heard stumbling and slapping follow.

"Kagome! I thought you were-"

Kagome laughed. Judging by her smug tone, he could picture a satisfied smirk across her face right about now. "I was wondering where you two had gotten to, but I never expected this!"

Inuyasha leaned back into the couch, content to merely listen. _Besides,_ he thought with a grin, _I prefer leaving the visuals to my own imagination. It's much more fun that way._

A bit of scrambling around preceded Sango's pathetic defense.

"Now, Kagome, this is not what it looks like…"

"And what on earth would you imagine it looked like, Sango dear?" Miroku asked innocently, his voice laced with a sly undertone that suggested otherwise.

As Inuyasha had expected, a slap quickly stemmed any further additions to _that_ statement, followed by Sango's furious exclamation. "Shut up, pervert! Stop trying to make it sound like anything other than what it _really_ was!"

"Then what was it?" Kagome wanted to know.

"We were just… playing a game, that's all," she replied quietly. Inuyasha imagined her face to be growing warmer by the minute, and for a moment, was tempted to get off the comfortable couch if only to see it for himself.

"If it was just a game, then why does Miroku look as if he just got you to agree to marry him?"

"Sadly enough, Sango refused to carry the stakes that high," Miroku admitted, disappointment clear.

"What were you playing, strip poker?" Kagome asked.

"Again," Miroku replied, "I suggested it, but Sango decided Blackjack would be more appropriate."

Kagome chose her next question very carefully. "And might I inquire as to the stakes?"

A pause followed, then a second slap and someone scrambling to their feet. "Don't even think about it, Miroku," Sango warned. Suddenly, the woman emerged from the hallway with Kagome behind, a contented grin still on her face, with Miroku holding up the rear, his hand rubbing his thrice offended cheek, yet still grinning wickedly.

"You better wipe that smirk off your face. _All_ of you," she added, throwing a glare in Inuyasha's direction. The half-demon did nothing to hide his amusement as stretched, lying back on the couch with his hands folded behind his head. It wasn't often he could find amusement at Sango's expense. He wasn't prepared to ruin a perfect opportunity, now. "_You_ had better not say a word," she told him.

"Wasn't gonna say a thing," he replied, lying through his teeth.

"_You_ I will talk to later," she said to Kagome, easing her glare slightly, but not completely. Kagome nodded. She wasn't immune to Sango's threats, afterall.

"And me?" Miroku asked cheerfully.

Sango's frosty gaze turned to him slowly. He shivered out of habit. "_You_ ought to go jump off of a bridge. A very _high_ bridge. Into shark-infested waters, preferably."

Miroku gulped. "I'll take that as my cue to leave," he muttered to himself before walking around her, offering Inuyasha a quick nod of acknowledgement. Within a few large strides, he was at the front door, pulling it open rather quickly.

"Oh, Kaede! Hi!"

All three faces swiveled to the front door where Miroku stood, Kaede standing just inside to wave at the apartment's occupants.

"Hi, Kaede," Kagome called out.

"Hey, Gram," Sango added.

Inuyasha offered no greeting. He opted, instead, for watching her warily.

"What are you doing here?" Miroku asked, glad for the distraction from Sango's fury.

Kaede's gaze fell on Inuyasha as she grinned. "Well, I just got back from the grocery store and seemed to have accidentally picked up a package of instant ramen. Shippo must have bumped it into my bag by accident. I'm not a fan of this particular flavor and wondered if any of you might be interested?"

"Sure, we'd love-"

"No, we would not!" Inuyasha suddenly snapped, leaping to his feet and coming beside Miroku to glare down at the old woman, who was still grinning. His frown deepened. She was _taunting_ him.

Suddenly, it fell into place. She _knew_ he patched things up with Kagome. She thinks it was all thanks to her and her ramen that they were back to normal again.

Kaede saw the realization dawn on him and chuckled. "Sure you don't want any, Inuyasha? You never know when it might come in handy."

"No, thank you," he hissed, eyes narrowing. He did _not_ like being made a mockery of.

"Inuyasha!" Sango exclaimed, surprised. "Stop being so rude. Grams, we'd _love_ the ramen. Don't mind him. Right, Kagome?"

Kagome made some mumbling noise that Sango interpreted as agreement, but the girl was more interested in watching the heat between the woman and half-demon. Obviously, it was more than mere ramen.

Little did she know, it really _was_ about the ramen.

"No, no," Kaede replied, slowly retreating, but certainly _not _due to a loss by any means. On the contrary, she felt rather victorious as she replaced the small, innocent-looking package into her bag. "I'm sure Shippo will like it, anyway. He's a growing lad, after all. He needs his nourishment."

"If you say so," Sango said doubtfully, still exchanging confused glances with Miroku who had no more insight into the situation than she. Kagome still stared at Inuyasha, understanding that some sort of battle had just taken place under their noses, and assuming by Kaede's confident smile and Inuyasha's irritated scowl that her roommate was not victorious.

"I'll see you bunch later, yes?" Kaede called out before disappearing down the hallway, leaving a bitter Inuyasha growling under his breath.

"What was that about?" Sango demanded, waltzing up to him defiantly.

Inuyasha, however, didn't notice as he slammed the door shut and stalked off to his room, muttering something or other about ramen and inner turmoil.

All three watched him go, some form of bewilderment on each of their faces and a somewhat similar thought running through their minds. Two-thirds of the party, anyway.

_What on earth was that about?_

_I wonder what that was all about?_

_I wanted that ramen…_

_

* * *

_

AN: **ducks flying tomatoes** I know! I know! Kagome was waaaaayyy too soft on him... but I swear, there's a purpose behind it... I believe it was koinu-no-aiwho first mentioned how Kagome was taking this whole situation a little lightly... but she's not as easy-going as she seems... she still suffers a lot behind closed doors... I promise, in the future, you'll see why... but please don't be upset with her lack of response for this chapter.

On a side note, all I have is one other chapter after this one, chapter 14, and after that, I'm stuck. I need a few filler chapters to get Inuyasha and Kagome closer, so if you have any ideas or requests, please let me know. A few good ones should put me back on track, so please, feel free to share! I promise I'll credit the creator of the ideas when the chapter is written, but I still need them. Inspiration is still running dry, so any help would be appreciated!

Review Responses:

Inuyasha'smistress: **giggle** hee... I'm glad I followed the rules to your liking... and technically, Kagome should be transferred to someone else... but would this fic be as interesting if she had to go and fall in love with some other random ex-convict?

RoseFire246: **sigh** I don't think Inuyasha will _ever_ learn to control his temper... he wouldn't be Inuyasha if he did... but he'll learn a few other things... from Kagome, of course... I'm pretty confident you'll be satisfied, nonetheless...

Peppermint Shivers: **offers toothbrush back** You'd probably want to sterilize that first... or toss it and buy a new one... or sell it on Ebay as something that actually touched Inuyasha's head... yeah, I suggest the latter... cuz then you get money instead of spending money... **turns back to Inuyasha, glaring** Not that you didn't deserve it, mind you... on the contrary, you deserved a toothbrush _and_ toothpaste thrown at you... But I appreciate the compliment on my writing style!

misguidedangel:**sigh** I'm afraidKagome does forgive him... but like I said, it's all part of some unforseen, cosmic swirling plan that you don't know yet... but will soon... or, relatively soon... give me a few... months... or so... heh...

Keyo-Red Angel of Hope: **glare **You HAVE neglected to review... but the hot chocolate offering is accepted and my forgiveness bestowed... just make sure it never happens again... **sip** and as for Naraku being Kagome's number one threat... **sip** hmm... I suppose that COULD be arranged... heh... **sip** (add cookies next time... .)

yuyufreak77: A newcomer, eh? Well, welcome! Thank you very much for the compliments. I'm happy you enjoy this!

helmet-head: I wanted to let you know, just because you're always such a great reviewer, I DID update this just for you. I saw your review in my email, and thought I would update it just for you. Thank you for the sympathy, and I offer my own in return. Hope you get back to tip-top shape quickly!

(**looks up** Wow... I got a lot of reviews, didn't I?... Dude, I think you

guys are on crack... I'm not that good... **grins** but if you insist, please,

don't let my rambling stop you...)

Next Chapter: The Wagings of War

Another "day-in-the-life" scenario... battles are fought... victories are won... truces are formed over a plate of cookies, and Miroku suddenly develops a taste for processed beef?


	14. The Wagings of War

I'd appreciate if, for anyone who normally skips this part, if you could at least skim through it today...

sigh> you guys are really too awesome... I don't even remember the last time I updated... what, like a month ago? And I still haven't received any flames about how I'm taking too long... not that I'm encouraging anyone, that is... just that you guys seriously rock, and I wish I could update faster.

But in reality, I really can't. The last few months have been really... painful. I just discovered I have ADD, I failed two classes for the very first time last term, I've been dropping in and out of bouts of depression and panic attacks like they were nothing, and it's seriously becoming more and more difficult to simply wake up in the morning knowing I have an entire day before I can go back to sleep and forget all my problems. So... things are rather... delicate, right now... which is part of the reason why I feel so great having reviewers that don't get on my case about this.

I'll be honest... I don't have the next chapter even started, and I have no idea how long it'll be until I do start it. But please bear with me. I am making no promises about when a chapter will be up, other than it WILL be up... I just don't know when. I have some other things to take care of, but that doesn't mean this isn't one of my priorities.

I appreciate anyone who understands, and anyone who doesn't understand, but doesn't try to flame me, anyway.

Thanks for listening (if you did, that is)

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 14**

**The Wagings of War**

Whether she liked it or not, Kagome found herself complying with Inuyasha's one request- they went back to fighting.

Well, not so much fighting as just simply arguing. Because they were _so_ good at it. One could even go as far as to say it was their primary source of communication between them… if communication isn't limited by volume, that is.

But it wasn't as if they argued because they still detested each other. Neither were quite aware of the point where they had passed that stage, but then again, neither really stopped to think about it long enough. If they _had_, like Sango and Miroku had slowly become accustomed to doing, they might have been able to acknowledge their "relationship" as more of a mutual friendship. Each gave back to the other to some degree, although Kagome found herself more on the "giving" end than Inuyasha.

Nonetheless, the other somewhat solved a need for their cohort- Kagome was in need of companions, and Inuyasha was in need of someone to vent out on. Of course, naturally, Kagome would retaliate against his venting, but that would typically result in further bickering, soon growing to a full scale battle in which the female would normally triumph over the male, basking in the glow of her victory while the male would sulk, using any means necessary to nag at his opponent, eventually picking up right where they left off.

Occasionally, Inuyasha would surprisingly claim his own victory, one of which he would gloat over the girl's supposed failure, not realizing it was her own pity and generosity that gave him the advantage he needed. But after understanding that she wouldn't snap at him for rubbing it in her face (like he would have done, and certainly _wanted_ her to do), the two would find themselves in a rare moment of peace, a time where negotiations were made, a temporary truce was formed, and an alliance created over a plate of cookies.

Of course, all it ever took was a slipped word or an ill-tempered morning to rekindle the fighting spirits.

However, today found the two in a state of peace… for now. Kagome sat between Sango and Miroku on the couch, partly because she had to be a blockade to stop Miroku's hand from coming near Sango's rear, and partly because she wanted to hold the cookies from her and Inuyasha's most recent truce. Said hanyou sat cross-legged on the floor in front of them, making room between Kagome and Miroku to lean back against the couch, simply reaching back for a cookie when he felt like it. All were gathered in the living room, eyes fixed to the TV, the only noises being its dialogue, the occasional dramatic music, and the crunch of chocolate chip treats being chewed.

"Who do you think she'll go for?" Sango asked, eyes never straying from the screen. "The sophisticated doctor? Or the biker?"

"It's tough," Kagome admitted, taking a thoughtful bite of her cookie. "The doc's charming, handsome-"

"And filthy rich, right?" Inuyasha supplied dryly.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "That's not the point. He's a nice guy, and he seems to honestly care."

The dog demon rolled his eyes, mumbling incoherently under his breath.

"But what about the biker?" Sango asked.

"He's rude and crude, but sweet when you get beneath the layers," Kagome pointed out. "I'm not sure who she'd go for."

Sango frowned. "But the guy's a player! He's always got three girls on each arm… sound like anyone we know, Kagome?" she added, casting a shady glance at the young man across the couch.

Miroku pouted stubbornly. "Sango, I'm crushed to think you'd compare me to _him_!... Besides, _my_ sweetness is on the _outside_ of my layers, not the inside."

"You wish," Sango retorted, flinging her half of a cookie at him. Miroku put up his hands just in time to catch it, throwing the woman a sly glance before bringing the treat to his lips.

"Mmm… still has your taste on it," he purred, licking his lips.

Whether her face burned from embarrassment or anger, no one knew, but it took all of Kagome's strength and skill to keep both the enraged woman in her seat _and_ the plate of cookies in her lap.

"Calm down, Sango! Please! Don't make such a big-"

"My, my, Sango. Are you that eager to come to me?" Miroku asked seductively.

Sango struggled against Kagome's rather impressive defense. "Only to keep you from _ever_ making children, Miroku."

Miroku grinned devilishly. "Well, if you're that willing to get to my-"

"_Miroku!"_ Sango screeched.

"Would you two knock it off?" Inuyasha snapped, casting a weak glare at both of them from over his shoulder. "If you two want to knock each other, do it at your own place!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped.

His golden eyes flicked to meet hers, unflinchingly. "What? This is the part where the biker and the doctor duke it out, and I wanna see!" he whined.

Kagome sighed, shaking her head. _I swear, he's got the mentality of a five-year-old._ "Look, why don't you and Miroku go get some milk?"

His ears flattened against his skull defensively. "Why do _I_ have to go? _He's_ the one that's acting like a perverted bouzo!"

Kagome's glare dared him to defy her. She was _not_ in the mood to be generous, ergo he was _not_ going to win this. "Because I said so. Because we're eating cookies, and _you_ drank the last of the milk this morning. Because _you're_ giving me a headache, and if we leave Miroku to go on his own, he'll only get stalled by the female workers."

Miroku's eyes lit up at the prospect, but Sango's feral growl and death glare quickly quenched the thought.

Inuyasha looked unconvinced. "I still don't see why-"

Kagome sighed again. _Five-year-old mentality- meet the ultimate defense._

"So, Sango, do you prefer using tampons? Or do you like the way the pads just wrap around-"

"Come on, Bouzo!" Inuyasha hissed, leaping to his feet, all the while using his long bangs to try to conceal the furious tomato coloring over his cheeks. In one swift move, he grabbed Miroku by his collar and literally flew out the door, ignoring the officer's protests about wanting to know Sango's answer. Obviously, _he_ was more interested in the girl's topic of conversation than the hanyou.

Kagome grinned smugly as she watched his retreat through the window. "Works every time."

Sango snorted. "Wish _I _had as effective a weapon against Miroku."

"Sango, all it takes is one evil eye from you to put him in his place," Kagome pointed out humorously.

"Not anymore," Sango replied bitterly. "Didn't you see him? I swear, he just won't leave me alone. Not since-"

Kagome watched, both curious and amused, as the slightest hint of pink tinged her friend's cheeks before she effectively cleared it and looked away. The girl grinned.

"Not since that incident in Inuyasha's room," Kagome finished thoughtfully, watching for Sango's reaction.

Sango wisely remained silent, not wanting to further jeopardize her own pride. This, however, only served to reinforce Kagome's curiosity.

"Sango, you never did tell me what went on in there, did you?" she continued.

Sango eyed the girl warily. "I was hoping you'd forget," she admitted.

Kagome giggled. "You underestimate me," was all she said.

The officer sighed, standing slowly and walking into the kitchen, Kagome following behind like a dutiful little puppy. When she turned back around, she was surprised to come face to face with her charge's saucer sized chocolate eyes stare up at her with such an intensely forlorn expression, Sango felt her innards just crumble.

"Okay! Okay!" Sango growled, shoving the giggling girl away from her face.  
"I sort of… well, we sort of… he… _he tricked me!_" was all she could come up with as her cheeks grew warmer by the minute.

"How?" Kagome pressed.

Sango's eyes flicked to her in a dark expression that all but screamed, 'If you were anyone else, I'd have killed you by now'. "He pretended to be bad at Blackjack. Acted crushed after every round I beat him."

Kagome nodded in empathy. "So you'd feel confident enough to beat him, no matter what the stakes."

"And I was so stupid to fall for it," Sango admonished angrily. "After a while, he finally made this ridiculous wager, a sort of winner-take-all deal."

Kagome thought she could predict where this was heading. "And the conditions?"

Sango's mouth twitched in an effort to conceal her grin as she remembered. "I told him that if I won, he'd have to grope someone else for a change."

Kagome's brow quirked. "And _who_ exactly did you have in mind?"

Their eyes met, a mischievous gleam burning in Sango's. "Inuyasha."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Are you serious? Inuyasha'd skewer him alive!"

Sango snorted. "You say that as if it's a _bad_ thing."

Pure shock and the attempt to picture the image delayed Kagome's next question. "But you lost," she pointed out thoughtfully.

Sango scowled. "Yup."

"So… that means _Miroku_ won," she continued.

"Yup."

"So… what did he have you do?"

Kagome waited on baited breath for Sango's answer, but it seemed like it would never come. Finally, the woman's eyes flicked to meet Kagome's, staring hard, her lips pressed into a thin line as she lifted her finger to point at them.

With Kagome's already low control over her reactions, it was no surprise what happened next. She never stood a chance. She was on the floor in seconds.

Sango glared icily at the girl, but was irritated even further to find she was too busy laughing to notice. Instead, she opted for kicking the girl none too gently in the side, but all that accomplished was shoving the girl to the other side of the kitchen, still chortling uncontrollably.

"Shut up!" Sango screeched, her already pink cheeks burning new shades of red by the minute. "It's bad enough without _you_ laughing at me!"

"I… I… I'm s-sorry," Kagome stuttered, making a valiant attempt to regain her composure, if only for Sango's sake. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to go any further as another attack of giggles took over.

It took several more attempts before she was successfully capable of comprehensible speech. By this time, Sango was watching her with an irritated scowl, her toes tapping impatiently.

Seeing Kagome finally regaining composure, she narrowed her eyes. "Are you done yet?"

Kagome flushed, genuinely ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sango. I just… couldn't control myself."

"I noticed," was Sango's dry response, her tone void of any sympathy.

"I said I was sorry," Kagome repeated, moving a safe distance away by plopping down onto the bar stool, leaning against her propped arm. She didn't miss the way Sango watched her warily, especially when she flashed the officer a rather devious grin. "So, was he a good kisser?"

"Are you serious?" Sango cried, torn between feeling outraged and staggeringly horrified. "You do realize this is _Miroku_ we're talking about, right?"

"That may be true, but you've gotta face the facts- Miroku, no matter _how_ perverted, is still a guy, and _you're_ still a girl," Kagome reasoned.

Sango's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "If you even_ whisper_ any 'birds and the bees' crap, you won't wanna know where I'll shove those cookies," she warned.

"Only if you answer my question," Kagome shot back.

"Oh, I don't know!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Excuse me if the combining force of shock from losing at Blackjack and absolute disgust from that… that _lecher _actually… _winning_… left me a little numb!" Sango retorted.

"It was that good, huh?"

"Oh! You're impossible!" Sango exclaimed, turning away with an angry huff, plopping herself on the couch.

The thought that she might have gone too far had briefly crossed her mind before departing just as quickly, amused satisfaction settling on her features.

This did not go unnoticed by Sango. She shot the girl a murderous look through her scarlet face. "See if I ever defend _you_ against Inuyasha again."

It was Kagome's turn to snort. "Not that I _didn't_ notice you're lame attempt to change the subject, but he couldn't win no matter what the odds."

Sango allowed a small smile to drift across her face. "Oh, really?"

Kagome nodded firmly, moving out of her stool to seat herself next to Sango, tucking a leg beneath her. "In case you haven't noticed, he's somewhat lacking in the intelligence department."

Sango giggled. "If he were as strong as he were smart, you'd be in trouble."

Kagome's smile faltered slightly, but Sango didn't notice. She did notice, however, as Kagome's fingers came up to brush against her throat nervously.

"Kagome? Are you okay?" Sango asked, instantly worried.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Kagome assured her, her fingers at her side in seconds. "Just an itch."

"Good," Sango replied. "I'm letting you know now, I'm never forgiving you for that incident with the eggs. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Kagome looked away, shifting uncomfortably. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to."

Naturally, Sango misinterpreted her meaning, and smiled reassuringly. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again. As much as it might be another threat to your life, I'd almost be willing to let _Inuyasha_ cook if it meant you wouldn't be choking yourself trying to do your own."

Kagome nodded and smiled, though it was completely fake and solely for Sango's benefit. The girl nearly breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened and the boys walked in donning a gallon of milk in each hand.

"It's about time," Sango told them, both her and Kagome moving to transfer the milk to the fridge. "What took you so long?"

Inuyasha delayed his response long enough to throw Miroku an irritated glance. "_I_ got distracted by the snack table. Bouzo, here, got distracted by the chick _behind_ the snack table."

"Not at all," Miroku argued, purposefully keeping his attention on anything but Sango's fuming expression. "I'm just as big a fan of processed beef as the next man."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Right, and I suppose next you're going to insist that you merely didn't want to waste the processed beef as you wiped it off her chest."

"You read my mind," was the officer's jovial response.

"Are you sure you bought enough milk?" Kagome questioned curiously, not giving Sango time to vent her frustration as she eyed the four gallons going into the fridge.

"I didn't want any more distractions," Inuyasha replied sourly, returning to his spot on the floor. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the plate of cookies abandoned on the couch, popping a single morsel into his mouth before calling out, "Where's the remote?"

Behind him, the couch moved, and without warning, the plate was lifted from his lap.

"Hey!" he protested, glaring at Kagome.

She shook her head, smiling as she waved the remote before his face. "Chill out, dog-boy."

"What did you call me?"

"Sango, Miroku, are you guys coming?" Kagome asked, turning to face the kitchen.

"No, we'll be fine," Sango replied pleasantly, looking up to smile as she held her partner in a headlock under her arm. Miroku gasped for air, struggling like a fish caught on a hook, face slowly transforming from a lovely cherry red tomato to a round, ripe plum. "Go on and start without us," Sango continued.

Kagome blinked. "Um… maybe I should-"

"No, you shouldn't," Inuyasha interrupted. "They're obviously having a lovely time, so just do as the lady said and start the movie without them."

Kagome frowned but pressed play nonetheless, casting Miroku a last apologetic smile before her attention was forced away. Inuyasha was trying to tug the plate of cookies back out of her lap.

Suffice it to say, the truce had officially ended.

* * *

**AN: ** sigh> a plate of cookies sounds good right about now... but, yeah, that's just me.

**Review Responses:**

_Peppermint Shivers_: You'll let me know how much you got for that toothbrush, right? ... and yes, the mighty Inuyasha, losing to the voices in his head... it's not like we don't experience it ourselves every once in a while... or maybe that's just me... at least I know IceSpikeXBlackRose does sometimes, too... so I'm not alone...hee

_RoseFire246_: yes... many underestimate the true force of a bowl of ramen... at least its impact on Inuyasha... and yes, our hanyou was a tad rough... but then again, in the anime/manga, he DID threaten to kill her on several occasions when they first met, so consider this my "Protect me" style interpretation, if you will...

_misguidedangel: _Really? Kagome wasn't as easy as you expected?... hm.. even I thought she was way too easy, and I'm the author!... but then again, I DO know the 'unforseen, cosmic, swirling plan', so that could have something to do with it... anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed... grin> I just had to add that tid-bit with Kaede... how could I resist?

_yuyufreak77_: smile> I make sure to mention all my reviewers, for they are all special to me, despite the fact that I think they are a little nuts for liking anything I write, but hey, I'm certainly not complaining! As for the idea, I'll admit, I really like it a lot, and I'll see how I can incorporate it in... still a bit stuck, but that idea is something I could really use... just need to sort of figure out the kinks of it is all...

_Inuyasha'smistress_:A lot of good points, all of which should be addressed soon... if I ever get around to writing it... but yes... ex-convict does suit Inuyasha well, doesn't it?... I mean, in the anime/manga, at the beginning, he was still feared as a notorious trouble-maker... this is more of a modern take of the same idea... And I do agree, Kagome did go easy... but as I told misguidedangel, I have an 'unforseen, cosmic, swirling plan' that will help Kagome's complacent attitude make more sense...

_Kuro-chan_: Thank you very much for the idea... it ended up giving me inspiration to sort of introduce one of Naraku's henchmen in the next chapter... I say 'sort of' because no one else will know it... I even wonder if you will recognize them?... duh duh duuuuuhhhh...

_chestnut_: grins> I'm glad you approve... Ialways have towrite something at least a little funny... full on depressed stuff really isn't my style, and will only result in getting myself depressed... with the exception, I suppose, of "An Unrelished Fate", butat least it ends on a super happy note... so I'm not sure if that counts...

_helmet-head_: nonsense! I was happy to dedicate that chapter to you... you were among my earliest reviewers, and have been faithfully reviewing almost every chapter ever since. I really will try to update soon, but as I said up top, I can't promise anything...

_Knock-on-Wood_: sniff> Aww... I just want to glomp you... it's reviewers like you that make me enjoy writing fanfiction... I am immensely pleased you enjoyed my humble little story, and will do my best to keep going!

_Fluffy_: bows> thank you very much! I hope you enjoy the rest as much as you enjoyed the first chapter!

_oXoCrAzYMyHaNyOuXoX_: Thanks. Hope you liked this chapter...

_Animekitty07_: Merci boucoup! I'll try to get the next chapter done when I can

_Wolf _: Again, I promise I'll update as soon as I have the next chapter done, but I'm glad you like it so far.

**AN:** Geez, there were a lot of reviews... 13... I think that's a new record, for me... anyway, this is normally where I post a preview of the next chapter, but... seeing as I really don't have a next chapter yet, I'm afraid there'll be none. I'm really sorry... but I WILL get it done when I can. I promise. Until then, please hang in there. You guys all r0x0rz my b0x0rz!


	15. Tears

Okay, so... _waves meekly_ hi?... _ducks onslaught of flying tomatoes_ Okay, okay, I know I haven't updated in a bit... _ducks more tomotes_ ...alright, maybe a big bit... but, in my defense, I've been going through a butt-load of crap, and it's... been really hard...

With that in mind, I want to immediately thank absolutely everyone who reviewed over the last few months. As miraculous as this sounds and as crazy as I've been, _no one sent me a flame!_ Everyone was super nice, and kept saying things like "Can't wait to read the next chapter" or "Hope you feel better" or "Just take your time". I swear, I almost wanted to cry... it really made me feel good in the midst of all the crap that had been going on, so I want to take the time to thank you all.

This chapter is especially dedicated to Knock-on-Wood because she was awesome and mentioned this story in her profile, and to the ever spectacular Mayy-chan for simply keeping me company via random emails. Thank you!

hEyKyRa13

* * *

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 15**

**Tears**

The night came and passed without event; in other words, the plate of cookies was finished off without the need to sever limbs. Ah, but with the morning comes a promise of new beginnings: beginning of a new day, beginning of a new routine, beginning of a new slew of arguments…

"Inuyasha, you lying little prick!"

"What the hell are you yelling at me for, now?"

"Because you're a lying little prick. Didn't you hear me the first time?"

A snort preceded the hanyou's mock hurt comment. "I'm offended. I think I deserve a little more credit than that."

"Fine then… you're a lying _big_ prick."

"That's better."

Kagome sighed. "Males and their egos. You're even worse than Miroku."

"No, I'm better."

"You're a better perverted liar than Miroku?"

"Hey! I'm not a-"

"Inuyasha, I can see the evidence sticking out! Right there between your legs."

"What are you doing looking there, anyway? You're the pervert, here, not me."

"Well, it's kind of hard to miss the way it just sticks out so openly. Geez, you can at least be a little more discreet."

"I think you're just making up excuses to stare at me. Not that I blame you, of course."

Kagome was the one to snort this time. "Like I said- a lying _big_ prick!" And with that comment, she leaned forward and plucked the card from his lap, holding it in front of his face with a triumphant smirk. "Ah hah! See? I knew you were cheating!"

Inuyasha scoffed at the card, rolling his eyes. "Puh-lease. I don't know how that got there."

"Of course," Kagome replied sarcastically, taking the card into her own hand. "It just mysteriously materialized in your lap."

"I still think you strategically placed it there to have an excuse to grab me," the dog demon protested smugly. "Besides, what are you doing putting it in _your_ hand?"

Kagome fixed him with a mild glare. "Because it's a two, and I asked you for your two's last turn. Therefore, that makes it my rightful property."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes a second time before returning his gaze to his own hand. "Whatever."

Kagome grinned as she put her pair of two's into her growing pile of cards. "Don't be such a spoiled sport, Inuyasha," she teased. "Go fish isn't for everyone."

Inuyasha eyed her from over his fan of cards. "Maybe I wouldn't be such a spoiled sport if you weren't gloating like an arrogant bitch!"

With a chuckle, Kagome winked at him. "Now you know what I go through everyday."

"Whatever," was his intelligent response as he tossed his cards aside and got to his feet.

Kagome frowned. "Hey, you can't give up, now!"

Inuyasha turned to frown at her. "I don't give up on _anything_. I'm hungry and I want something to eat."

"Sure you do," Kagome replied, but set down her own cards nonetheless to join him.

Inuyasha pulled his head out of the refrigerator long enough to throw the girl a smirk. "Can't stay away from me, can you?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, seating herself at the bar. "Like I said… just as bad as Miroku," she muttered dryly.

"Sure," Inuyasha replied, diving back into the fridge. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Think whatever you want, dog boy," Kagome retorted, leaning her cheek into her palm as she watched her roommate move around the kitchen. "You know, Shippo asked about you, today."

The hanyou snorted indignantly. "The kid can't take a hint, can he? You would think that throwing him away from me time and time again would be obvious."

Kagome giggled. "So one would think. But nonetheless, he continues to adore you. Can't imagine why, though."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha scoffed, smirking back at her as he moved to the cupboards, evidently searching for his favorite food lodged there. "What's not to adore?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, grinning wickedly. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

The restless flickering of his ears was the tell-tale sign of his apprehension, though he cleverly masked it by casually replying, "Feh."

"Feh," repeated Kagome mockingly, giggling in spite of herself. "You know, you've gotten Shippo saying that, too."

Inuyasha shrugged indifferently as he removed a package of ramen from its compartment. "Can't blame the kid if he wants to be like me."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Kaede says he's been saying it at every opportunity. Apparently, he brought a new classmate of his home, a cute little girl if I recall, and the first words out of his mouth were 'Feh! Granny, my friend's here!'"

The dog-demon nodded solemnly, ripping the paper covering from the top of the ramen to begin filling it with water. "It's a proper enough greeting, don't you agree?"

"Hardly," Kagome retorted. "Just yesterday, he held up another drawing of his and said, 'Don't you think it looks really "Feh", Kikyo?'"

_SPLASH!_

Kagome jumped up, startled. Looking down, she saw the cup on the ground, water and noodles alike leaking onto the hardwood floor. Slowly, she pulled her eyes up to look at the hanyou that dropped the cup, a firm scowl on his face and clawed hands held at his sides.

"Inuyasha?"

Not even the barest flicker of a fuzzy white ear indicated that he heard her. His dark, stormy eyes remained locked ahead.

The girl's brows lowered and she lowered her gaze, staring at her fingers.

It came out before she knew what she was saying. She blamed her stubborn curiosity that always got the better of her for it. If only she had kept her big mouth shut! But no… she had to go and say it… she had always wondered…

"Inuyasha, why won't you call me Kikyo?"

Inside her mind, she felt herself cursing the sinful words almost as soon as they left her lips as she clasped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. The hanyou himself didn't move. This did nothing to ease Kagome's nerves or guilt.

Pulling her hand away, she began to stammer, "Inuyasha, I'm… I'm s-sorry… I didn't… I m-mean… you d-don't have to-"

"Kikyo."

Kagome froze, staring at Inuyasha incredulously. He stood in the same fierce, unmoving position that she began to wonder if she had heard anything at all. Frowning, she whispered, "What did you say?"

His gaze refused to turn away, continuing to keep his back to the girl as he replied quietly.

"Kikyo Itsumi… she's… was… the reason I was in jail… I was accused of murdering her…"

Kagome's eyes widened. "She… she was? … But… but my file… why change my name to-"

"Because," Inuyasha interrupted, almost angrily, "you… you look… just like her… my brother used her identification records- medical, dental, even school history- for your file…"

The girl nodded numbly, slowly processing the information. Almost without warning, another question popped into her head, and this time, she spoke without hesitation.

"Did you?"

A roar and a pair of slammed fists against the cupboards was her instant response, followed by- "_Of course not_! I would never… _never_… not… not to Kikyo… never…"

Another numb nod, and suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place. With a wry grin, Kagome stared and her own hands once again, examining them curiously.

"It was Naraku… wasn't it?"

This time, his feral growl was the only response he offered.

Closing her eyes, Kagome sighed and pushed away from the bar. "I'm sorry… forgive me for asking… it wasn't my business to-"

"The hell it wasn't!" Inuyasha snapped, spinning around to face her for the first time. "Like it or not, her death now has everything to do with you, thanks to me, and thanks to that damn Naraku. For gods' sakes, Kagome, you're life is falling apart around you and the only thing you can think to say is '_forgive me'_!"

Slowly, Kagome stood, not rising against his challenging tone like she normally would. "What else do you want me _to_ say, Inuyasha? Sango, Miroku and Sesshoumaru are working hard to get that trial for me, so all I can do is sit and wait it out."

Inuyasha sneered disgustedly. "And since when the hell did you become such a pansy?"

For the briefest of moments, her blue eyes darted to meet his golden orbs, almost defiantly holding his gaze for a few firm moments before turning away, retreating to her room. Not one to be turned away so easily, Inuyasha followed behind, stopping at her doorway.

Inside, he could see Kagome on her knees, her head and arms halfway under her bed reaching for something. Stuck between thinking she was a lunatic and trying to keep his eyes away from her protruding backside, he was caught by surprise when she finally pulled away, producing a tattered, stained brown leather jacket.

When she go to her feet and turned around, she was hardly surprised to see him standing in her doorway. Stepping up to him, she smiled softly, hugging the worn fabric to her chest fondly.

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow. "And that would be…"

Despite the fact that her smile did not drop, when Kagome looked up at him, her eyes suddenly seemed sallow and tired, lacking their usual vibrancy.

"It's a coat, stupid," she replied in a brilliantly false tone.

As much as he wanted to respond to the insult, the expression in her eyes concerned him more, so for once, he indulged her. "Alright, then. Fine. It's a coat."

Kagome's smile grew, but at the same time, her eyes seemed to sink deeper in despair. "It was… Hojo's coat…"

For a moment, Inuyasha's eyes widened in understanding, and he suddenly found himself looking down at the tattered fabric, unable to maintain eye contact with her. Kagome understood, fingering the coat fondly as she brought it against her cheek. Standing aside, she held the door open to invite him in which he did rather timidly, eyes constantly looking around her room to avoid looking directly at her.

The poor hanyou was so uneasy, her voice behind him all but sent him jumping in alarm.

"Inuyasha, do you know what happened that night?"

Spinning around, he saw that she had the coat around her shoulders, hugging it to her tightly with her hands under her arms. With an audible gulp, Inuyasha shook his head slowly.

Kagome smiled her all-too familiar sad smile before replying, turning her head to rub her nose against the soft leather. "That day, I was bringing Hojo home for the first time to meet my family- just my mom, my grandpa, and my little brother, Souta. They were finally going to meet my fabulous boyfriend I had been raving about in my letters."

"Hojo was a nervous wreck… he couldn't stop fidgeting the entire way there, thinking that my family would hate him or something. I'll be the first to admit that it was a tad irritating… but that's just the way Hojo is… was…"

The brief correction halted Kagome's recount, and for a moment, Inuyasha was afraid she was going to cry. He never could deal with sobbing women, and Kagome's tears always seemed to hit him in his particularly soft spot. The dog demon nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she took a deep breath and continued.

"But, of course, they all loved him. Grandpa found someone to talk to who wouldn't tell him to shut up, and Souta thought he was some life-sized action figure with the sole purpose in life of playing with him. After dinner, they wrestled for hours."

"Mom liked him too… but I remember her saying something about him being a bit too… perfect. She told me my 'perfect someone' doesn't have to be a 'perfect' someone… I didn't quite know what that meant, but I kept on thinking about it all night… up until it happened."

Another pause, and Kagome turned away to stare out her balcony window, eyes glassy with tears that threatened to spill. Inuyasha noticed this, and felt his insides crumble, but said nothing, allowing the girl to finish. At the rate she was going, he figured it'd be better to let her spill her guts… afterall, spilling guts always made him feel better… although, not quite in the same manner…

"That's when he gave me his jacket," Kagome commented, hugging the garment even closer to her as if it had suddenly grown cold. "We were walking around the neighborhood, and he gave me this so that I wouldn't get sick. The goof said something or other about not wanting Grandpa to be mad at him for bringing me back with a cold. He said-"

Delicate brows furrowed, and she lowered her eyes to the ground, voice lowering to a bare whisper. "He said he wanted to take care of me," she said softly, slipping her hands into the pockets. "He always was saying silly, romantic things like that… and… huh?"

Frowning, Kagome paused and stared curiously at the left pocket, fingers moving around experimentally.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked.

"There's something in… in… oh my god…"

"What?" Inuyasha demanded. "What is it?"

The young man was alarmed by the fact that Kagome's face suddenly paled, her fingers still moving slowly and carefully. It looked like she was rubbing the object, whatever it was, but he still couldn't figure out what caused her startled, jaw-dropped expression… not until she slowly withdrew it to confirm her suspicions.

"He… he… didn't…" she whispered, staring at the tiny black box, thumb running over its velvety surface. Tears were springing forth, now, but it seemed only Inuyasha was aware of them as Kagome stared blindly at the box, slowly lifting the top with trembling fingers. Sure enough, laying on a red satin pillow was a small ring, gold in color with nothing more than a single, well-cut diamond seated in a bed of sapphires.

"Oh my god," Kagome choked, bringing her free hand to her mouth as she stared blindly at what was supposed to be an engagement ring. _Her_ engagement ring… her engagement to…

"Oh, Hojo!" she exclaimed, falling to her knees, cradling the box against her chest as she burst into heaving sobs.

If there was one thing Inuyasha hated more than anything in the world, it was to feel helpless. So, dammit, why the hell should he be feeling that way now? Kagome was at his feet, sobbing uncontrollably, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Not that he certainly didn't _want_ to do anything. On the contrary, the voices in his head were coming up with many rather tempting ideas- shoving Naraku's head in a toilet, strangling his brother's neck and demanding he get that stupid trial, ripping Mr. Hobo-whatsis-face's body out of the ground and order him to make Kagome stop crying, beating the living shit out of that flea-bitten wolf. But, despite his overwhelming desire to beat _something_ up, he had to finally face the fact that it would only relieve his own discomfort, but do hardly anything for Kagome.

_S-so… what am I supposed to do?_ he thought desperately, staring down at the trembling girl before him, for once begging the voices in his head to give him direction. But, once again, they seemed to vanish at the most emotionally crippling moment.

In his head, the movie from the previous night randomly seemed to pop in his head, and, in spite of his better judgement, he took his cue from the sensitive doctor guy. Taking a deep breath, he carefully lowered himself to Kagome's level, ears eventually resorting to flattening themselves to offer protection against the girl's wailing, and slowly stretched an arm toward her. His hand hesitated just over her shoulder, silently contemplating the possible consequences, both good and really really bad, of what he was proposing.

_Screw the consequences!_ Ordered one of the voices firmly, finally making itself present. So, with a thick gulp, the half-demon gently rested his arm around the girl's shoulders.

Unfortunately, the action resulted in two actions that he had already listed under the bad category- one, she began to cry even _harder_, and two, she promptly spun around and latched onto his waist, spilling tears onto his shirt. It was as if she was releasing all of her unshed tears from the last few months in a wave upon his innocent clothing. It was gonna take _forever_ to get that smell out.

_Forget your clothes, moron,_ scolded the voice irritably. _Kagome's more important. Your making progress!_

_You call _this_ making progress?_ Inuyasha argued incredibly, casting a skeptical eye down at the raven head currently imbedded in his chest.

_Just stay with her, you idiot._

_If you say so,_ he finally consented, and so, with a sigh, he tried to make himself comfortable leaning against the side of her bed and allowed her to continue sobbing against him, keeping his arm about her.

He vowed then and there that he'd never understand girls and their brilliant ideas of ignoring their need to cry. If she needed to cry so badly, then why the hell didn't she just do it? But that would be a question reserved for later. For now, all he could do was hold onto her and let her release her finally freed tears.

* * *

**AN:** Yes, so, major mushying going on. And for those who mentioned Kagome wasn't exactly freaked out enough, this is my solution. More will be explained in the next chapter... which hasn't even been started on, so I'm afraid no chapter preview for ya. And, at least for now, I'm going to have to stall on the review responses, simply because I have so many of them, not to mention the fact that I have an appointment with my counselor in fifteen minutes. Just wanted to get this chapter out for ya. I'll probably replace this with a copy that has review responses on it sometime in the near future, so if anyone actually bothers to read them, keep an eye out for 'em.

Again, my supreme thanks and eternal gratitude go out to you all!


	16. Thank You

**AN: **I deserve no forgiveness for my serious absence, and for that, I really am sorry. But in my defense, I've had a lot going on in, what, the last _year_ since I updated? And now, it's crazier than ever, what with me dealing with work, school, home issues, friend issues _and_ moving two states away.

But, for the time being, I intend on using writing as a means to relax and chill out. And honestly, I couldn't do that if I had any flamers, which I don't, and for which I'm supremely grateful. All my normal reviewers have probably forgotten about me by now, but to all of you, I dedicate this very short and probably crappy but still kinda sweet chapter...

**hEyKyRa13

* * *

**

**Protect Me**

**Chapter 16**

**Thank You**

The rest of the evening pretty much passed in phases- first, there was the "rinse cycle phase", whose title pretty much summed up its contents. In other words, it consisted of Kagome leaking every bit of moisture from her eyes to Inuyasha's favorite red shirt. Next came the "tumble dry phase", which was just about the same as the rinse cycle phase, just without the leaky eyes. Inuyasha was almost tempted to call for Miroku and Sango with the way her body kept trembling furiously with her sobs long after she ran out of tears to cry, but the hanyou found it all but impossible to pry himself away from Kagome's grasp to do so.

Didn't really matter since the tumble dry phase wasn't long lived. To both Inuyasha's relief _and_ horror, the whole process ended rather anticlimactically as the girl fell into sudden silence. This sudden change could only be described as the "fold and… _attempt_ to put away phase". As the silence grew, Kagome folded herself into the smallest ball possible, curling into the fetal position half against Inuyasha's chest and half on Inuyasha's lap. And after what he had then thought to be a safe period of time, he tried to simultaneously gather the sleeping girl into his arms and raise to his feet with the intention of "putting her away" into bed. But, as described earlier, it was but an attempted effort, for it appeared that Kagome was not as asleep as she had led him to believe and blackmailed him with the threat of fresh tears every time he so much as flinched to move. So, with a suppressed grunt, Inuyasha settled back down on the ground, at least rearranging her so he could stretch his cramped legs. It was far beyond his comprehension to understand why she would prefer his lap over her own bed, but with the threat of her tears upon him, he didn't dare try to test her resolution.

So, that left him with nothing else to do but sit there, holding his charge like a child, silently begging her to fall asleep. At this point, it was safe to assume that the entire situation was scaring him more than anything else had in his entire life- and this was coming from a murder convict! He wasn't used to dealing with his own emotions, let alone someone else's.

And on top of that, they belonged to Kagome- the craziest, most emotionally high-strung woman he'd ever met. He'd take her screaming and hurling dishes at him over this any day- to see her so broken down was just downright creepy, and the equally creepy feelings her state were bringing upon him weren't welcome. They made him actually stop and think- _never_, on any occasion, a good thing- about the girl he had been forced to live with for the last few months and why she was there.

She watched an international criminal murder someone right before her eyes. She watched her boyfriend, or soon to be fiancé, die trying to protect her. She almost died herself. She was torn from her perfectly normal family and her perfectly normal life to exist in this place with a convicted murderer, waking every morning with the knowledge that she could be dead before the end of the day.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt disgusted with himself. But self-disgust was something he was used to- it didn't give him the somewhat satisfying feeling of anger and the need to punish himself for what he unintentionally did to Kagome everyday. All he felt was hollow… and that wasn't what he needed right now, so he tried focusing his attention on the girl in his arms.

_How the hell did you get up every morning?_ He wondered, frowning down at her deceitfully relaxed face. He knew she wasn't really asleep. _Or even walk out the front door? Never knowing whether there was a gun pointed at you with every step you took? Hell, living that kind of life would probably be enough to scare the shit out of me… but you?_

At some point in the midst of his internal interrogation, his questions started coming out of his mouth. He wasn't completely sure when it happened, but for the record, he actually became aware of it right about here. If she really wasn't asleep, then she was making no effort to shut him up, so he continued rather absently.

"Why did you smile? All the time, everyday, even to _me_? You smiled, you laughed, you teased… you hummed while you cooked. Why? _How_? How the hell can you… _could _you… be so happy when your life is all but shitting all over you?"

Kagome shifted just slightly to move her face away from his collarbone enough to talk.

"I had to," she croaked in a harsh whisper. "I… I owed it to him."

His ears flicked in surprise. After her extended silence, he didn't expect her to actually answer.

"To who? Your boyfriend dude? Why?"

Another uncomfortable squirm. When she sniffed, Inuyasha instantly stiffened defensively, preparing for the worst. If she started bawling again, he was seriously debating simply dumping her on the ground and running.

Kagome took her time with answering, and when she finally did, it was soft and barely audible.

"I… I didn't… love him…"

…

…_wait…what?_

Inuyasha frowned, trying to comprehend this. "You… didn't… love him."

Kagome seemed to take this as a statement of disgust, and folded into herself once again to cry, but Inuyasha held her tight to keep her from doing so.

"Dammit, Kagome, stop crying! I didn't mean to say anything bad! All I meant was how the hell can you call all this shit 'not loving him'? You seem pretty well damn in love to me!"

Kagome gave him a face that gave him the impression that he didn't know a thing about love before turning away, reaching for the small velvet box she had left on the bed.

"I'm not in love," she told him softly but sternly. "I wasn't… Mom made me see that."

Inuyasha sighed, ridiculously confused. "I still see nothing."

For once, Kagome actually sat up and scooted away from Inuyasha to lean back against her bed. And while grateful for the change, the half-demon did not move, intent on hearing her explanation.

He had to wait a while before it would come, though. Kagome just sat staring at the diamond ring inside the box, twisting it back and forth to admire the glimmer it gave off. Inuyasha was driven insane by it. But nonetheless, he stayed.

His patience was soon rewarded.

"It was what Mom said," she said at last, eyes still locked on the ring. "About Hojo not being my kind of perfect, or something like that. That night, her words were bugging me the entire time until Hojo and I went on our walk. He was sweet and gentlemanly, offering me his coat and saying he didn't want me to get cold. I just smiled and thought about how perfect he was… that's when it hit me…"

Kagome took a deep breath before closing the box and continuing. "Hojo was perfect, and I wasn't. That's what made me feel uncomfortable. And that would never change. Even if none of this had happened and we did get married, there would always be that rift between us. Hojo was just being himself, but I wasn't. I kept trying to be perfect just for him, like I had to prove something or I had to catch up. I couldn't ever be who I truly am around him- I couldn't yell at him for something stupid or cook breakfast in my pajamas or just be silly and crazy because I felt like it."

The tears were flowing once again, but Kagome kept talking faster and faster, knowing she had to finally get her secret off her chest. "I couldn't be any of those things around him. I couldn't be really honest with him, even though he was always so honest about his own feelings. And I knew that night that I never would. I knew that if I truly loved him, my fears wouldn't hold me back. I may have adored him and cared for him more than anyone else, but that wasn't the same thing as love. In my heart, I… I felt like I was cheating him. Like he deserved so much more from me that I just couldn't give."

"And then… and then… he died… just like that. I couldn't believe it… didn't want to believe it, but… he was dead. He… he gave his life for me… literally… completely… and I didn't even… love him… do you… do you realize how much I've _hated _myself for that!?" she exclaimed, practically glaring at Inuyasha.

The poor hanyou could do little more than stare at Kagome incredulously, jaw flapping uselessly. "I… but… Kagome, you shouldn't-"

"_Yes I should!!!_" she screamed. "Hojo loved me… he gave his life for me… for a stupid, selfish woman who didn't even love him back! I feel… I feel like… like he _wasted_ his life… like _I_ was the one who should have died! Dammit, why!? _Why!?_ Why…" Her voice began to dissolve now into soft sobs as she tucked into herself again, her entire body trembling terribly. "After everything… everything I did… to him… I didn't deserve his life… he didn't deserve this… this fate…"

"But Kagome," Inuyasha began, wondering what to say to ease even a fragment of her grief, "you… you didn't do anything to him. I mean, he loved you, didn't he? Right up… up until… well, the end… well… he couldn't have been too unhappy, right? I… I don't think… that being with you… or even… _dying_ for you… made him unhappy."

Kagome was still sobbing up a storm but as least she quieted enough to show she was giving what he said some thought. This encouraged him enough to nervously place his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, he flashed her his best smirk in true Inuyasha fashion.

"So get up off your ass and stop your blubbering. If that guy meant half as much to you as you say, then you wouldn't be trying to stuff your life with even more stupid false pretend crap than you did before he passed. You always said you were so worried about pissing him off because you were pretending- how the hell do you think he'd like you wasting the life he gave you on this bull?"

And, surprisingly, Inuyasha's blunt, brash manner got to her. While she did stare, at least her tears hung still, and her shaky breath smoothed. At first, Inuyasha was unsure as to whether this was a good thing or bad. An emotionless Kagome typically meant one of two things- more tears or more broken dishes.

But, in an unusual stroke of luck, neither applied. Instead, Kagome laughed, turning her head away to wipe away the few remaining tears. "Figures that a jerk like you would think of yelling at me to cheer me up."

Inuyasha frowned. "A _jerk_!? I let you ruin my shirt and scream in my ear, and you call me a _jerk?_"

Without warning, Kagome spun around and reached for one of his ears, rubbing it gently as a means of apology. Inuyasha himself was so stunned by the switch that he couldn't even move away. Kagome took it as encouragement and smiled. "No, I don't. At least, I don't mean it. No one who could make me feel so relieved after months of almost hating myself could really be a jerk, no matter how much he may pretend to be one."

Inuyasha didn't know whether to frown or not. He was almost positive there was an insult hidden among the compliments, but he was a little too preoccupied with concentrating on her fingers on his ear.

The only reason she did it was because she had harbored some secret longing to touch his ears since the moment she met him. And, in her mind, being as vulnerable and exposed as she was deserved some sort of reward. But she wasn't quite confident that Inuyasha would continue being as patient with her as he'd been, so with a final tweak, she released it and sighed. This time, Inuyasha _did_ frown. It had been so long since anyone wanted to get close to him, let alone to _stroke_ his ears, that he had forgotten how good it felt.

"But you're right," she admitted, taking once last glance at the box in her hand. "I'm… I'm not doing Hojo any favors, am I? I mean, I _do_ care about him and I _don't_ want his… sacrifice to go to waste. I'd like to enjoy my life… but to be honest, I'm a little scared to."

Inuyasha snorted, pushing himself off the ground while he stretched. "So, let me get this straight. You're not scared of Naraku, _or_ Miroku, even _me_, an accused murderer, but you're terrified of having a good time?"

Kagome blinked once before laughing again, shaking her head. "I guess that _is_ kind of crazy, isn't it?"

Inuyasha smirked at her before reaching out a hand to her. "Then again, I never pegged you for the 'sane' type."

Kagome flashed him a mock glare before taking his hand and letting him help her to her feet. She wiped her cheeks once more before turning on Inuyasha and poking him in the chest. "And I should let you know now that you're not as scary as you think."

Inuyasha, surprised at first, turned devilish as he leaned over her with a smug sneer. "Oh, you think so?"

Unperturbed in the least, Kagome nodded, reaching for his ear again. This time, semi-prepared, he found himself unintentionally dropping all pretenses of arrogance to lean into her touch, eyes drifting close. "See? You're not scary. Loud, obnoxious and immature at times, maybe, but not scary. Not to me."

"I can't scare you anymore, can I?" Inuyasha murmured, lazily opening his eyes to grin down at her. "You sure?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nope."

Inuyasha chuckled and gently pulled away from her hand, rolling his eyes. "Whatever."

He moved toward the door to head for the kitchen when he felt a tug on his hair. Spinning around, he saw a thick lock of white held in Kagome's hand. Confused, he frowned at Kagome, only to find her in almost a stupor, smiling at him.

"Uh, Kagome?"

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said. Her voice was quiet but her eyes were clear and soft. "Thank you for being here for me and telling me the truth."

The half-demon's cheeks were bright with embarrassment as he tried to look away, but Kagome's firm grip on his hair prevented most movement. So he had to be satisfied with turning his eyes away. "Well, duh, I'm here. We only live in the same apartment together. Where else am I gonna be?"

But Kagome tugged on his hair until his golden eyes were locked back on her. "I mean it, Inuyasha. What you did for me, I… I just can't tell you how… how much it means to me." She finally let go of his hair to punch him lightly in the chest. "Whether you like it or not, Inuyasha Taisho, you've really become my best friend. And for the first time in a really long time, I'm happy."

Inuyasha rubbed his chest with a glare at the girl. "Am I a best friend or a punching bag?"

Kagome's smile never dropped as she passed by him, patting his head idly. "Both."

Inuyasha spun around, growling. "Hey! You little-"

"Kagome! Inuyasha!"

Both girl and hanyou froze, staring up at the pair of officers that just burst through the front door, gasping for breath. Kagome was the first to react, rushing forward toward Sango with concern.

"Sango, what's wrong?"

Sango, being completely out of breath, turned to Miroku for support. He nodded once before glancing up at Inuyasha. "It's… it's Granny Kaede," he replied uncomfortably.

Kagome instantly jumped to the worst conclusion. "Oh God, is she okay? Nothing's happened to her, right? Has she-"

"No, no, Kaede's fine," Miroku assured her. "But… it's just…"

Inuyasha stepped forward, fisting his hand in the man's shirt. "Cut the crap, you damn bastard! We're not in the mood for it!"

"It's Shippo," Sango whispered, eyes locked on the ground. "He's been kidnapped."


End file.
